ON LAKES, POOLS, ETC. 171 



cannot choose but envy you that fine basket of trout, 

 that capital evening's sport, and that delicious home- 

 ward walk. 



I am writing, as the reader will see, con amove, 

 and I must beg him to pardon this rhapsody as an 

 unlooked-for digression ; for it is hard to be always 

 commercially-minded on such subjects, nor ever to 

 look at the more congenial part of the picture. 



But to resume my argument. These middle-sized 

 fish are almost wanting, in many lakes I could name, 

 though small ones abound. Now, how is this to be 

 accounted for ? That the trout can easily reach the 

 middle weight if left to thanselves is proved by their 

 reaching the greater one. May it not possibly be 

 that these big monsters prefer the half-pounders, or 

 fish of near that size, to their trumpery Kttle two- 

 ounce sons and daughters, which are far more 

 plentiful ? One thing is most certain — ^viz. that their 

 capacity and capabilities are quite equal to taking 

 even miich larger fish, and they may prefer one large 

 fish to a dozen small ones. I don't say that this 4s 

 the reason of the absence of the intermediate size, 

 because I cannot prove my case, but I do think it 

 is by no means an improbable theory. I have seen 

 large Thames trout, of eight, ten, and twelve pounds' 

 weight, chasing roach of half and three-quarters of a 



