THE MOOR-BURN. 409 



take a rise out of him. The water by this time was long 

 past its best ; so, after supplying him with a fly, I said I 

 would not interfere, but walk down and show him the casts. 

 He was evidently a good fisher, but, as I anticipated, did not 

 kill a fish, and only rose one. In the burn there was one 

 very strong eddy, where the trout never rose to the fly, but 

 where I seldom missed taking one with the worm, when the 

 water was at all swollen. On coming near this place I said, 

 if he had done nothing it was not his fault, but that I would 

 now try my luck. I then let him go a good way ahead, took 

 off my flies, put on a bait-hook and worm, and from this place 

 pulled out two whitlings half-a-pound weight. I then whipped 

 on my flies again, and overtook him at the end of the burn. 

 I could hardly keep my gravity at his astonished face when 

 I showed him my success. He never suspected the bait ; and 

 I soon took my leave, wishing him better sport the next 

 spate ! 



Sea- trout, after the burn has run small, will never rise to 

 the fly ; they fall back to the pools, and, as anglers say, stick 

 to the bottom, where they may often be seen. At such times 

 they are also very unwilling to take a bait, and the only chance 

 is to try both pools and streams with the minnow after it 

 becomes nearly dark. I recollect once, when the water was 

 quite dwindled, taking a very fine one with worm ; but 

 although I have often tried the same pools before and since, 

 never with success. I had been fishing a small moor-loch in 

 company with another angler, and thought of returning home 

 by the burn, and trying the steep linns with bait for a sea- 

 trout. My companion laughed at the idea, saying that to 

 catch one then was totally out of the question. I thought the 

 same, but having plenty of time, resolved to make the attempt ; 

 so, selecting one or two of the largest pools, where the rocks 

 on each side rose perpendicularly, darkening the water, I gently 

 and slowly let down the bait, allowing the worm but no part 

 of the line to touch the water. After one or two attempts I 



