yo WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS chap. 



flies, " Why, sir, that fly may do now and then, but it is not 

 fit for this river, and I am afraid, sir, you will catch nothing 

 with it." His own stock of flies, which he wants to sell, being 

 all of one kind probably, which he has managed to convince 

 himself and others are the only sort the fish in the neighbour- 

 ing stream will rise at. I remember one day on the Findhorn 

 when the fish would not rise at a fly, although they were leap- 

 ing in all directions. I put on a small white fly and filled my 

 basket, to the astonishment of two or three habituh of the river, 

 who could catch nothing. Having watched me some time, and 

 not being able to make out why I had such good sport, they 

 begged to look at my fly. They scarcely believed their own eyes 

 when I showed them my little white moth, which the sea-trout 

 were rising at so greedily ; it being so unlike the flies which from 

 habit and prejudice they had been always accustomed to use. 



I was much interested one day in May, in watching the 

 thousands of small eels which were making their way up the 

 river. It was some distance from the mouth, and where the 

 stream, confined by a narrow rocky channel, ran with great 

 strength. Nevertheless these little eels, which were about six 

 inches long, and as large round as a quill, persevered in swim- 

 ming against the stream. When they came to a fall, where they 

 could not possibly ascend, they wriggled out of the water, and 

 gliding along the rock close to the edge, where the stone was con- 

 stantly wet from the splashing and spray of the fall, they made 

 their way up till they got above the difficulty, and then again 

 slipping into the water, they continued their course. For several 

 hours there was a continued succession of these little fish going 

 up in the same way ; and, for more than a week, the same thing 

 was to be seen every day. The perseverance they displayed 

 was very great, for frequently, although washed back several 

 times, an eel would always continue its efforts till it managed to 

 ascend. Towards winter they are said to descend the river again, 

 in equal numbers. Trout and many birds feed constantly on 

 these small eels, catching them with great ease in the shallows. 



One summer day I was amused by watching the singular 

 proceedings of two lampreys ^ in a small ditch of clear running 

 water near my house. They were about six inches in length, 



' The Lamprey [Petromyzon marimis) ascends the Scottish rivers to breed about tlje 

 end of June, and remains until August. T. Edward notes tliat it is a common fish in 

 Banffshire, and Yarrell quotes a passage from Sir W. Jardine which illustrates Mr. St. 

 John's anecdote : ' ' They are not furnished with the elongation of the jaw, afforded to 



