EFFECTS OF FKESH WATER ON SALMON. 55 



soon pant and flag, whilst the lean one of the 

 hill-side is almost as nimble as a hind, and strong 

 and stout in proportion. When salmon first come 

 from the sea, obesity impedes their muscular 

 powers, and their fins are white and soft, just as 

 if they had been parboiled. After a sojourn of a 

 couple of weeks in fresh water, their fibres or 

 muscles become nearly divested of fatty matter ; 

 the rays of their fins assume the colour and con- 

 sistency of whalebone ; in fine, they become a 

 thin, black, ugly, but strong, active, and enduring, 

 fish. They have left the rich pasture for the 

 strengthening, but not fattening, food of the stable. 

 I dare say the trout-fisher, seeing one of these 

 small black gentlemen on a fishmonger's slab, 

 would fancy it a thing easily landed with rod 

 and line, whilst he would shudder at the thought 

 of a tussel with the fat, silver-sided, eighteen- 

 pounder, lying beside the black dwarf. Let him 

 undeceive himself; but, at the same time, let him 

 take courage by reflecting that what is possible 

 for one man to execute is possible for another. 



The first grand rule in playing a fish, is never, 

 when it can be helped, to allow the line to slacken. 

 An over slack line is worse than an over tight line, 

 a fact always to be borne in mind. The mo- 

 ment a fish is hooked lift your rod's point, and, 



s 4 



