The next stretch of water, between Fountainhall and Stow, is more rapid, having indeed a constant trot. about it that adapts it beautifully for worm-fishing, but rather unfits it for the early fly-fishing. Trout flock into it in the summer months, and in June and July it is well worth a visit. Huge basketsful have been taken from it, however, with fly, as well as May-fly and creeper, for the latter of which it is capitally suited. Creepers and May-fly are usually plentiful throughout the whole course of the Gala and its tributaries, although in some years they are more abundant than in others. Stow is a considerable village, with an inn, and is resorted to sometimes by anglers who want lodgings in summer-time within easy distance of Edinburgh. Cockum-water enters the Gala above Stow.

Between Stow and Bowland Bridge (the station below Stow) the water runs more into pools, and contains larger trout than any other part of the Gala. "We once took with the minnow, between Bowland and Stow," says Mr. Stewart, "twenty trout, the whole we got that day, which weighed fifteen pounds, and we never got such a large average size of trout in any of the tributaries of the Tweed, or even in Tweed itself." A basketful of twenty trout, averaging threequarters of a pound, is certainly remarkable for the Gala, but it has been frequently surpassed in the Tweed, in the Till, the Leet, and the Blackadder. Mr. Stoddart mentions having caught in the Leet twenty-six trout weighing upwards of twenty-nine pounds; and we have seen an average of a pound attained in the Whitadder with the "lying minnow" —that is, a minnow thrown into an eddy, the line

I

well loaded, in a flood, while the water was yet too thick for spinning it successfully. But the truth is, the trout of Gala are small-below the average, indeed, of any other tributary of the Tweed of equal volume. Like those of the human race whom the gods love, perhaps they die young, and only a few are allowed to reach their full stature and ponderosity. This is, however, rather opposed to the ordinary rule, which is, that where trout are very numerous they remain small, whereas when they are thinned by fishing, they increase in size. On the last occasion on which we fished the Gala-(with fly in the end of April, in a bitter east-wind from Fountainhall up to Heriot Kirk) -the six dozen trout which we got certainly would not weigh more than nine pounds, if so much, and there was not a half-pounder amongst them.

The Luggate enters the Gala a mile and a half below Stow. It is its principal tributary, and swarms with trout. Very large numbers have been attained by anglers in this little stream, and with the May-fly a diligent fisher may also pick out an "assortment" of a very respectable size.

Below Bowland, the Gala may be fished for a mile or two, but it here comes into dangerous proximity to Galashiels and its poachers. At that town it becomes a mill-lead, and is mixed with chemicals that poison the fish; and although, between the mills and the Tweed, a few of tough constitution are believed to survive, and were, we understand, counted in order to furnish an answer to the promoters of the new Tweed Act, who wished to strengthen the clause preventing the throwing of deleterious matters into our border streams,

the Gala for fishing purposes may be said to end at Torwoodlee. At Gala-foot, in the Tweed, it is triumphantly asserted by the mill-owners and the Border Advertiser, that there is a very superior roe-cast, which merely proves that when the river is flooded the fresh water from the hills is sufficient to dilute the chemicals from the mills. We have not yet heard that trout are very fond of muriatic acid, and we conceive it to be highly desirable, not only for the sake of anglers, but for the sake of the community at large, that every precaution should be taken to prevent the pollutions of factories from mingling with the pure streams of the border. At Hawick, numerous efforts have been made to prevent the defilements, by running the dyes and other chemical preparations used into pits, where they stand until the poisonous stuffs precipitate; but the manufacturers grumble loudly, and try to evade what they ought to be forced to do, at whatever cost of trouble or money. We are not aware that as yet any similar efforts have been made at Galashiels. At that town there is a cauld so high as to prevent salmon from ascending the stream to spawn; and so the angler in this river may fish the year round without fear of killing forbidden fish.

The vale of Gala is not very picturesque, nor is it very fruitful in song or tradition. Burns has celebrated its "braw braw lads." It was anciently denominated Wedale-the Vale of Wo-for what reason is not exactly clear, but probably on account of some deadly battle which left the sound of lamentation and weeping on the banks of the Gala. The vale was formerly church property, and a chapel stood near Stow. Tor

woodlee, the seat of the Pringles, a border clan of some note, is on the banks of the Gala, about two miles above Galashiels; and near it are the castles of Buckholm and Blindlee, from which it is said that two inveterate enemies of the owner of Torwoodlee used to watch him in the time of Charles the Second (Pringle being a Covenanter), in order to detect some symptom of disaffection to the Government. Galashiels is an energetic manufacturing town; and its inhabitants have much of the old border spirit smongst them. Hence the poaching.

The Leader rises amongst the western skirts of the Lammermoors, from the recesses of which hills it draws its supplies, although the greater part of its course is through a low-lying and rich country. The upper waters of the Leader can be best commanded from Carfrae-Mill Inn, which is on the old coach-road from Edinburgh to Kelso, but which is now rather difficult of access. The two most convenient modes of getting to the Leader are by walking or driving nearly six miles over the hills from Stow, in the vale of Gala, to Lauder, and by taking the omnibus, which runs twice a-day from Melrose to Earlston, a distance of seven miles. We believe, however, that the head of the Leader might be readily reached by an adventurous pedestrian from Heriot station, who might try to find a road for himself across four miles of hilly country; but until that path has been discovered, we must be content to recommend our readers to go to Lauder, and fish up to Carfrae-Mill. About that point the Leader separates into two streams, which are each again si

milarly divided; and as they are all about a size, it is difficult to say which is the proper source of the Leader. The fishing in them is good, and the trouts of excellent quality, sometimes of very good size.

From Carfrae-Mill for about three miles downwards the Leader is open to the public, and the trouting is excellent. The trout, however, are small, the streams being rapid and thin; but if the angler does not object to an average of five or six to the pound, he may find good sport here. A mile above Thirlstane Castle, the seat of the Earl of Lauderdale, his lordship-the son, we believe, of the man who was so strong a Jacobin and advocate of equality and fraternity-claims possession of the river, and strictly preserves it for about two miles to Lauder Bridge. Some of the profane vulgar, however, who have penetrated into his lordship's sacred preserves, inform us that the trout, although very numerous in this piece of water, are very small, from the fact of there being too many of them for the food that is to be had. A little more fishing would have the effect of increasing their size, and would thus make the sport better. A little below Carfrae, the Wharplaw-burn, a small hill-stream, enters the Leader, and in the middle of the Thirlestane preserve, Earncleuchwater also comes in. The latter stream is reputed to be worth angling in. Below Lauder Brig there is a stretch of nearly four miles of water in which the public may enjoy their sport uninterruptedly, and in the greater part of this the fishing is very good. Below St. Leonard's Mill, a mile and a half from Lauder brig, the trout are rather scarcer than in the water above, but they average five or six ounces in weight, and will