314 LENNIE BURN. 



my spotted friend was not solitary ; and one or other of 

 them was almost always to be seen during the season. 



Spring came round again, and I resolved to watch the 

 first appearance of these trout. Accordingly, as soon as 

 I noticed fish rising in the streams, I went to the pond 

 several times a-day. It was not, however, till the begin- 

 ning of April that I perceived the largest trout looking 

 very heavy and dull, but making no attempt to feed. I 

 watched it for a quarter of an hour, when, contrary to its 

 usual custom of darting among the bushes at the opposite 

 side for a hiding place, it sunk down among the leaves and 

 mud, head foremost, like an eel. The manner of its passing 

 the winter was now evident, and as the evening was chilly, 

 it had again sought the warmth of its muddy quarters. 



A third inmate of this little pool excited my curiosity 

 and interest more than either of the others. During the 

 warm summer nights several large eels were constantly 

 disporting among the soft mud, particularly after rain. 

 Each had its corner of the pond, and they seldom invaded 

 the other's territories. They were five in number; two 

 rather larger than the others, one of them a yellowish 

 green, the other a dark brown ; indeed they were all of 

 different hues, and the shade of their colour was my first 

 distinguishing mark. This leads me to suppose that fish 

 do not always take their colour from that of the water, or 

 from the quality of the bottom. I know it is often the 

 case, especially with trout, and I have seen fish caught on 

 a mossy soil, nearly black, while those taken on a clear 

 golden sand were bright yellow, though in the same loch. 



