On a Trout of great age. By Mr. James Wood. 547 



OTie of them ? A.s already hinted at it was possibly of still older 

 type. 



The portion of the shaft that remains is 2 feet 9 inches in 

 height, fifteen inches on the face, and twelve inches in thickness. 



J. H. 



On a Trout of great age. By Mr James Wood, Galashiels. 



Not having seen in the Club's Proceedings any notice relative to 

 the age to which fishes attain, I think the following may not be 

 without interest to the members. 



In the year 1835, James Crosbie, son of the late Thomas 

 Crosbie, letter carrier, captured a trout iu the Leader, and put it 

 into a well belonging to the late James Thin, weaver, West End, 

 Eai'lstoun. The trout when put into the well was of an ordinary 

 size, and might weigh from five to six ounces, but as it took quite 

 kindly to its altered circumstances, it gradually increased in bulk, 

 until in course of time it attained to the dimensions of a fish of 

 a pound and a half, in weight, which seemed to be the full extent 

 of its natural development, as for many years afterwards it pres- 

 ented no perceptible change whatever. It was observed to get 

 darker in colour, which might have been due to its shaded pos- 

 ition. The well was cleared out every year, and during this 

 operation the trout was carefully transferred to a tub of water. 

 In the latter years of its life, when taken out for this purpose, its 

 head seemed to be assuming abnormal proportions. This, how- 

 ever, was ultimately found not to be the case, the fact being that 

 its body was gradually getting more and more emaciated, until 

 in 1869, to the grief of many people in the neighbourhood, it 

 was taken out dead, its body wasted away to a mere skeleton. 

 During all the thirty-four years it was in the well, its wants were 

 carefully attended to, as the women, when they went to draw a 

 pitcher of water, generally took a few crumbs of bread and threw 

 down, and children going to take a peep at their favourite trout, 

 seldom did so, empty handed. From the emaciated condition of 

 the fish when taken out of the well, it may safely be concluded 

 that its death was due to natural causes alone, and assuming from 

 its size when put in, that its age may have been five or six years 

 old, this would make the whole life of the trout to be close on 

 forty years. Whether it would have attained that age, or be- 

 yond it, in its native stream, exposed to many enemies, is matter 

 of conjecture. 



