Highlands of Asturias 295 



have come to the conclusion that for angling purposes they have been 

 hopelessly ruined — by dynamite, cloruro, lime, coca, and various other 

 things. There may be deep pools here and there where fish have 

 escaped, but they are very few. If your book is not finished you can 

 put this in, as it is accurate, and may save many a disappointment to 

 the free fisherman. 



Farther south, in Le6n and northern Estremadura, are also 

 rivers of first-rate character. The Alagon, for example, with its 

 tributaries, is well adapted for trout — dashing streams with 

 alternate stretches of pool and rapid. These still hold trout in 

 their head-waters amoiio; the mountains; but lower down the 

 speckled beauties are well-nigh extirpated. 



In this region one frequently observes, not without surprise, 

 evidence of the introduction and acclimatisation of exotic ])roducts 

 by old-time Moors — often in most outlandish nooks, wherever 

 their keen eyes had spotted some fertile patch : probably, ere this, 

 that energetic race would have preserved and cultivated the trout 1 

 The success of such enterprise in New Zealand and South Africa 

 (it is even promising to succeed under the Equator in B.E. Africa), 

 and indeed in Spain itself (at Algeciras), attests how easily these 

 Iberian waters might be endowed with a new interest and a new" 

 value. 



Such, however, is existent apathy that, although the local 

 natives (N. Estremadura) were aware of the presence of fish in 

 their rivers, and told us that some ran to 10 or 12 lbs. in weight 

 (these were barbel), yet they knew no distinctive names for 

 the various species. All fish, big or little, were merely j^e sees — 

 Mu7/ huenas pesces. None could describe them, whether as to 

 appearance or habit, nor did they know whether some species 

 w^ere migratory or otherwise. 



The only angling we have seen practised in this province was 

 at Trujillo, where in some lakes adjoining that old-world city 

 Tencas (we presume tench) up to 5 or 6 lbs. are taken w4th bait. 



(2) Salmon 



To such an extent used these to abound in Asturian streams 

 that maid-servants stipulated on entering domestic service that 

 they should not be given salmon more than twice a week. At 

 the present day the pollution of rivers by coal-mining and other 

 impurities has in some cases banished the salmon entirely, in 



