ON THE MAMMALIA OF THIS DISTRICT. 179 



save that a little further north, we shall reach the 

 true fells, on whose rocky crests no vegetation, 

 save the moss and the lichen, can thrive. The 

 two lakes which hold the charr are situate on the 

 highest mountains, and appear like basins cut out 

 of the solid rock. In one, the rocky banks tower 

 perpendicularly above the water, which is, perhaps, 

 fifty fathoms deep at their base, the water as clear 

 as crystal, and even in summer icy cold. I could 

 not see a single weed or aquatic plant in either. 

 These lakes may, perhaps, cover 150 acres each. 

 In one, no fish are met with but charr ; in the 

 other there are charr, trout, and minnows. I may 

 here mention that the trout peculiar to these lakes 

 is the common trout (Salmo fario), but they run 

 to a large size, 6 lb. or even 8 lb. not being un- 

 common. All that we took were very dark- 

 coloured, some nearly black. 



We started at day-break with two days' pro- 

 visions, and, rowing over two of the largest lakes, 

 one of which was nearly a mile long, we came 

 to our first stream. There was hardly flush of 

 water enough for first-rate sport, but the day was 

 beautiful, and we (three of us) managed to land 

 about 100 trout of all sizes, from 4 oz. to 2 lb. Our 

 forester, who fished with a string line, a hazel 

 twig, and a hook and worm double the size I ever 

 saw used for trout, beat my fine tackle hollow. 



