The Big Trout. 183 



intruders ; but the moment he is vanquished, 

 it was occupied by a less powerful member of 

 the finny tribe. 



I have often heard of dogs catching fish, 

 and while I was at this place 1 saw a very 

 clever retriever catch two trout in a shallow 

 stream, and was told that he often performied a 

 similar feat. 



Trout are occasionally found living entirely 

 by themselves, without having any others of 

 the breed anywhere near them ; how to account 

 for this I do not know. They must, I 

 suppose, somehow or other have wandered 

 away from their own locality, and not being 

 able, or perhaps not inclined, to make their 

 way back again, have thus been forced to live 

 the life of a recluse. The only solution I can 

 efFer is, that they may have been swilled down 

 by a flood ; but in a general way they know 

 how to guard against that, and betake them- 

 selves to pools, and such shelter as may 

 be afforded by stones and pieces of rock. 



I remember two instances of solitary or 

 hermit trout. One occurred in the river from 

 which I take my " nam de plume,'' in a part 

 where there were no trout within several miles ; 



