124 SALMONIA. 



great sport I had in that river was in 1817, 

 in the beginning of April. I caught, in two 

 or three hours, at Merton, above four or 

 five large salmon, and as many in the evening 

 at Kelso — and one of them 25 lbs. But this 

 kind of fishing cannot be compared to the 

 summer fishing : the fish play with much 

 less energy, and in general are in bad season ; 

 and the fly used for fishing is almost like a 

 bird — four or five times larger than the 

 summer fly, and the coarsest tackle may be 

 employed. I have heard that Lord Home 

 has sometimes taken thirty fish in a day, in 

 spring fishing. About, and above, Melrose, 

 I have taken, in a morning in July, two or 

 three grilses ; and in September the same 

 number : and I have known eighteen taken 

 earlier, by an excellent salmon fisher, at 

 Merton; and the late Lord Somerville often 

 took six or seven fish in a day's angling. 

 The same, " fuit" I must apply to most of 

 the Scotch rivers. Of the Tay I have 

 already spoken. The Dee I have never 

 caught salmon in, though I have fished in 

 two parts of it, but in bad seasons. In the 



