THE BREAMISH, 287 



evening in the Breamish in the summer of 1847, by the 

 late John Carr, Esq. of Hedgely, the stuffed skin of 

 which is now in the possession of a brother of the author's. 

 At those seasons, the river is generally 'stocked with a 

 fair proportion of good-sized trout, which usually remain 

 until the occurrence of a flood induces them to proceed 

 either upwards or downwards, as the season may be ; 

 when excellent sport may be had, both with fly and 

 minnow especially the latter, during a moderate fresh 

 in the river. To give an idea of the excellent baskets of 

 trout which may be obtained in the Breamish at certain 

 seasons, I killed with fly, one very cold day in the be- 

 ginning of April, and while a strong north-easter blew 

 directly up-stream, 4 dozen trout, 18 of which were 

 from 12 to 15 inches in length a by no means despic- 

 able dish to be furnished by any ordinary river. Even 

 during any part of the season, with the river in favour- 

 able order, it is seldom that any one of ordinary skill 

 returns without two or three fish of three-quarters of a 

 pound ; and if it were preserved, as most rivers are 

 now-a-days, I do not think there would be a better fly 

 river upon the Borders. But, as it is almost the only 

 open water in that part of the country, it is so unmer- 

 cifully flogged by every whipper-snapper who can handle 

 a willow wand, that I should think every living fish 

 it contains must have felt the sting of " the green-tailed 

 fly," before the season is over. I myself have met no 

 less than thirteen fishers, within a reach of a couple of 

 miles of water, all industriously flogging away with the 

 most unremitting assiduity. A motley mob of cobblers, 



