60 SALMONID.E. 



Sir Walter Scott, in his novels of Redgauntlet and Guy 

 Mannering, has described with his well-known skill and 

 effect the animated scenes which occur when parties are 

 engaged in spearing Salmon cither by daylight or torchlight, 

 as practised in the North. These works are familiar to 

 all, and repetition would be useless. For the following de- 

 scription of two other modes of taking Salmon I am indebt- 

 ed to the kindness of Dr. Richardson. 



A particular kind of fishing is peculiar to the Solway 

 Firth, or at least can be practised with success only where 

 the tide flows, as it does there, over extensive flats. The 

 instrument used is termed a "halve," and consists of a fun- 

 nel-shaped net ending in a pocket or bag. The mouth of 

 this net is stretched on an oblong frame about three yards 

 wide, to which there is attached a handle or pole. When 

 the tide begins to flow, a number of fishermen proceed over 

 the sands, and range themselves in a close line across the 

 current of the flood, each with the " halve " resting on the 

 bottom, and its pole against his shoulder : as the tide rises, 

 it becomes too deep for the man farthest from the shore, 

 who then raises his net and places himself at the other ex- 

 tremity of the line, where he is shortly succeeded by another 

 and another, the whole thus changing places continually. 

 When a fish strikes the halve, its mouth is instantly elevated 

 above the surface by the fisherman, so as to prevent its re- 

 treat until it can be carried into shallow water and secured. 

 During the ebb a similar plan is pursued in a reversed order ; 

 the mouths of the nets are still turned to the current, but the 

 fishermen now move in turn to the end of the line which 

 stands deepest in the water. Flat-fish are the principal re- 

 turns of this fishing ; but prime Salmon are occasionally taken 

 botli on the flood and ebb. 



This kind of fishing being as yet open to all, and unfet- 

 tered by parliamentary enactments, there is scarcely a cot- 



