186 EXTRACTS FROM NOTE-BOOKS. CH. XXXII. 



that part of the country with a population peculiarly 

 destructive to fish and game. 



The Tweed and its tributaries are known to all 

 as the angler's classic ground, and have been so 

 often described by abler pens than mine, that I will 

 say nothing about them. 



Loch Leven trout are famous throughout Scot- 

 land. 



Then come the lakes and streams of Argyleshire, 

 beautifully situated in a wild and rugged countr^ 

 but overrun of late years by cockney and summer 

 tourists. Loch Awe will, however, always maintain 

 its high repute for its large lake trout, which rival 

 the pike in size and voracity, but are stronger, and 

 far more wary and difficult to catch. A " Salmo 

 ferox " of fifteen or twenty pounds weight is no mean 

 adversary. His first rush, when he finds himself 

 firmly hooked, is nearly strong enough to tow the 

 fishing coble after him. And then comes the tug 

 of war. The monster, held only by a slight line and 

 tapering rod, is one moment deep down boring his 

 head to the bottom of the lake, with every yard of 

 the line run out, and the rod bent into the water ; 

 the next he takes a new freak, and goes off" near the 

 surface like a steamboat, and before you can wind 

 in, he is right under your boat and close to the 

 bottom of it, your line being you know not where. 



