74 ANGLIXG SKETCHES 



quarters of a pound : but we never succeeded in 

 landing an\' of the realh- big ones. 



A local angler told me he had caught one of 

 two pounds, and lost another ' like a young grilse,' 

 after he had drawn it on to the bank. I can 

 easih' believe it, for in no loch, but one, have I c\"er 

 seen so manj- reall}- big and handsome fish feeding. 

 Loch Beg is within a mile of a larger and famous 

 loch, but it is infinitcl}" better, though the other 

 looks much more favourable in all wa3-s for sport. 

 The onlj- place where fishing is eas)-, as I ha\'e 

 said, is a mere strip of coast under the hill, where 

 there is some gravel, and the mouth of a \-er)- tin)' 

 feeder, usualh" dr\-. Off this place the trout rose 

 freeh", but not near so freely as in a certain corner, 

 quite out of reach without a boat, where the 

 le\-iathans lived and sported. 



Alter the little expanse of open shore had 

 been fished o\'cr a few times, the trout there seemed 

 to grow more sh\-, and there was a certain 

 monotony in walking this tin\- quarter-deck of 

 space. So I went round to the west side, ^\■here 

 the water-lilies are. Fish were rising about three 



