340 THE MOOR AND THE LOCH. 



up, to his surprise, the salmon was still attached to the fly, 

 and easily landed. 



Instances like the above show the exciting character of 

 autumn rod-fishing, as well as the advantage of finding out 

 the exact stations of these " back-end " salmon. How many 

 of these tempting pools are tenantless now, that yearly used 

 to harbour one or two of these sporting harvest-fish, anglers of 

 the lower stations of some of our best rivers know to their 

 chagrin. And what is worse, the dearth of finny inhabitants 

 will increase until some stringent restrictions are laid on the 

 angler's great foe the net. In all those rivers where netting- 

 is encouraged to anything like the present extent, not only 

 will the salmon-rod soon be useless, except to hang an idle 

 ornament in the hall, but the needy or greedy proprietors of 

 fisheries will find they have outwitted themselves that their 

 rents are growing less year by year, until they end in being 

 merely nominal. 



Salmon-anglers are regarding with much interest the arti- 

 ficial propagation of salmon in the Tay and other rivers where 

 the experiment is being tried; but whether the increase will 

 ever reward the trouble of raising them, has yet to be 

 proved. 



My late brother imported ova of Geneva trout to be hatched 

 in the salmon-breeding ponds at Eossdhu. It was intended 

 to stock the Arrochar moor-lochs and also Loch Lomond with 

 these magnificent foreign trout. About 200 young fry were 

 introduced into Lochs Sloy and Garable some years ago, but 

 have not made any appearance yet. Indeed there has been no 

 decrease in the number, or increase in the size, of the Loch 

 Sloy trout ; for my sons, in four hours' fishing, captured twenty 

 dozen last summer, no bigger than I remember them when 

 a boy proof sufficient that the foreign intruders have as 

 yet made no impression on the Arrochar Highlanders. The 

 watchers have never detected one monster trout all last 

 season in either loch. We neglected, however, to prove the 



