188 SALMONIA. 



Hal. — Salmon often in this season haunt 

 the streams in pairs ; but so far from rising 

 again after being pricked, they appear to me 

 to learn, when they have been some time in 

 the river, that the artificial fly is not food, 

 even without having been touched by the 

 hook. In the river at Galway, in Ireland, I 

 have seen above the bridge some hundreds of 

 salmon lying in rapid streams, and from five 

 to ten fishermen tempting them with every 

 variety of fly, but in vain. After a fish had 

 been thrown over a few times, and risen once 

 or twice and refused the fly, he rarely ever 

 took any notice of it again in that place. It 

 was generally nearest the tide that fish were 

 taken, and the place next the sea was the most 

 successful stand, and the most coveted ; and 

 when the water is low and clear in this river, 

 the Galway fishermen resort to the practice 

 of fishing with a naked hook, endeavouring to 

 entangle it in the bodies of the fish; a most 

 unartistlike practice. In spring fishing, I have 

 known a hungry, half-starved salmon rise at 

 the artificial fly a second time, after having 

 been very slightly touched by it : but even this 



