512 VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF LAKELAND 



himself] (to whom the fishing of both these rivers doth belong, 

 and have a fish-ark or coop in either river), scarce ever got any 

 trouts in Brathy, or Case in Koutha-meer, in which are several 

 islands and store of fish as pikes, perch, trouts, and eeles, the 

 fishing whereof, as also Elter-water, Longbrigge Tarn, and other 

 waters in the parish of Gresmere, have time out of mind be- 

 longed to the lords of the said mannor.' x Mr. Browne's MSS. 

 include the draft of an agreement by which ' Dame Elizabeth 

 Otway, of Ambleside, lets to George Braithwaite, of High Wrey, 

 her privilege of fishing upon Windermere water, with the privilege 

 of carrying a boat with any goods whatsoever from the head 

 to the foot of the said water, for one year, in consideration of 

 the sum of five shillings. The said Dame Elizabeth reserves 

 only to herself the twenty chars which the fishermen are to 

 give her every year. July 2, 1701.' 2 



Thompson speaks of live Charr kept for sale when he visited 

 the Lakes : ' When at the inn at Waterhead at the northern 

 extremity of Coniston Water, during a tour to the English 

 lakes in June 1835, a number of Char from this lake were kept 

 alive by our host in a capacious wooden box or trough, into 

 which a constant stream of water poured. They were fine 

 examples of the species, about a foot in length. Here I was 

 informed that a supply of this delicate fish was always kept up, 

 that the " curious " visitor might gratify his taste at any season 

 by having fresh Char set before him at the rate of ten shillings 

 for the dozen of fish.' 3 Latterly Charr have become almost 

 extinct in Coniston owing to the pollutions caused by the 

 Coniston Copper Mine Company. 



But John Poole gave evidence in 1878 that he had heard his 

 father say that he had caught seven dozen Charr in Coniston in 

 one day, using his straw hat for a landing-net. One of the best 

 accounts of Charr that have been published is that of an anony- 

 mous writer, whose identity was covered by the letter '0.' He 

 wrote in 1832 that this fish was found in * Coniston in Lan- 

 cashire, Windermere in Westmorland, Buttermere and Cromack- 



1 Description of Westmoreland, p. 16. 



2 Report Hist. mss. Comm. xli. p. 354. 



3 Nat. Hist, of Ireland, vol. iv. p. 165. 



