LENNIE BURN. 315 



But to return to my friends, the eels. It was nothing 

 uncommon to see several of them peeping out of a 

 separate retreat in their own premises. The head of 

 one perhaps from behind a decayed leaf, the whole body 

 of another laid alongside a piece of stick, which it so 

 nearly resembled as to be scarcely distinguishable. 

 Indeed it required some practice to perceive them at 

 all, and I have been nearly a minute before discovering 

 one, though several were in sight. Having _ some 

 curiosity to find out whether any more eels would get into 

 this place should the original occupants be taken away, 

 I, by means of a hook and strong gut-line, at different 

 times pulled out the whole five. They took the bait 

 readily, but it was rather difficult to hook them, as they 

 held it for some time across their mouth without swallow- 

 ing, after the manner of pflke. I observed that these eels 

 were more shy than those I had taken in lochs and rivers, 

 but in excellent condition. They were never replaced, how- 

 ever, during the time that I had opportunity of watching. 

 The trout remained unmolested, and seemed also to thrive. 



During sultry weather, the eels often rested the lower 

 part of their bodies on the mud, and raised their noses 

 to the top of the water ; when in this position they had 

 a very serpent-like appearance, and might have been 

 easily mistaken for snakes. I never saw this done by- 

 eels before, but, if noticed in the like attitude by a Loch- 

 Lomond sage, it might, perhaps, account for one of the 

 three wonders ascribed to that water, viz. : Fish without 

 fins, waves without wind, and a floating island. 



