204 SPORTS AND ANECDOTES. 



pounds. They were unlike the Como trout, being 

 redder than any salmon I ever saw, and so firm and 

 flakey and full of curd that when boiled you could 

 almost break them in half. The largest trout I ever 

 saw there was in the market at Arona ; it had 

 been caught in a net by the fisherman of a friend 

 of mine, a Captain Turberville, and weighed thirty- 

 four pounds ! 



There were tench in Maggiore that I never saw 

 or heard of elsewhere. I was surprised at my courier 

 bringing one from Intra market that weighed eight 

 pounds, and on my exclaiming at his size, he said, 

 " Oh ! if me had known that you liked him, me 

 should have brought one twice so big. Him very full 

 of bones, and peoples no like him much here." 



A somewhat curious thing happened to me one 

 day when I was spinning for trout in the middle of 

 the Lago Maggiore. I hooked a fish which seemed 

 to be a large one, and he at once ran out my line and 

 nearly bent my rod double from making for the 

 bottom of the lake, which was very deep. I hardly 

 knew where he was, or where he was going to, when 

 all of a sudden he jumped out of the water on the 

 other side of my boat, and actually jumped into 

 the boat. 



