124 MOSTLY ABOUT TROUT 



sition strongly resembles that of the blood 

 serum of the higher animals. 



Of the marvels wrought beneath the sea 

 upon the growth and vigour of the salmon, 

 the trout and the eel, our three river fish that 

 spend so much of their lives in salt water, there 

 is no doubt whatever ; and if you want your 

 veins to run champagne, and yourself to feel 

 strong and light and fresh, the sea-trout of 

 Scotland or the isles will give you every oppor- 

 tunity of acquiring that feeling. 



My first experience of sea-trout fishing was 

 on a loch in the west coast a lovely day in 

 glorious scenery. We were on a walking-tour 

 (passed mostly either in a boat or on wheels), 

 and we were spending the last night with a 

 keen fisherman and most kindly of hosts, now 

 gone to his rest. We were to be met by a 

 yacht the next evening, to sail homewards 

 past the sunset glories behind the islands of 

 Rum, Eigg and Muck but it is of fishing 

 I am writing now, not of that sail homewards. 

 Our host mentioned after dinner that he was 

 fishing for sea-trout the next day and would 

 one of us care to come too ? I waited, silent, 

 with my heart in my mouth, and much to 

 my joy no one else was keen on fishing, so the 

 lot fell to me. There was a nice fishing ripple. 



