FISHING ANECDOTES. 197 



at the top of the rod, and then swam to the side ; I 

 then put my landing-net under him and fished him 

 out. He was as black as a tench, so I returned him 

 to fight another day. I can only account for his be- 

 haviour by his being much out of condition. Perhaps 

 some one like Dr. Buckland can account for this." 



I could tell many another curious story about fish 

 and fishing, but amongst them I have picked out 

 three that are as curious as any, I may say hardly 

 credible. I shall confine myself to these stories, 

 and proceed to relate anecdotes of sport that have 

 happened to myself. I have been fortunate in kill- 

 ing some heavy fish in my time : in the Garry, 

 near Fort Augustus, N.B., a salmon of thirty-four 

 pounds four ounces ; at Constance, in Switzerland, 

 a trout of twenty-two and a-half pounds ; sundry 

 others in Germany and Italy of from sixteen to twelve 

 pounds, and once in Scotland I killed thirteen dozen 

 and ten trout in a heavy snow-storm. 



Having, then, begun with the three stories related 

 by others, I will proceed to tell of the big trout 

 at Constance. 



I was living with my family for some time near 

 Constance, and coming across an old Eton friend there, 



