ANGLING ON THE BORDERS. 17 



to the condition and colour of the water — when it is 

 black and heavy, using a larger and lighter-coloured 

 fly than when it is low and clear. There are salmon- 

 flies described as " Tweed flies" which may be as- 

 sumed as the most generally-killing that can be used ; 

 but probably it would be impossible to cover a hook 

 with feathers, mohair, or tinsel, in such a way that a 

 salmon would not rise at it ; while flies that are the 

 very opposite in their characteristics to the Tweed- 

 flies proper, are occasionally the most successful. Irish 

 flies are now very generally used ; although Mr. Stod- 

 dart has a legend that a few years ago salmon would 

 not look at them ! Half an hour's talk in the shop of 

 Forrest of Kelso, with John or Willie Younger at St. 

 Boswell's, with Jamie Wright at Sprouston, or with 

 any of the sons of the tribes of Kersses, Purdies, and 

 Scotts, who fish and guard the Tweed, will, however, 

 give the angler more knowledge of the subject than he 

 could get from any treatise ; while if he were to talk 

 with all of them in succession he would probably be in 

 possession of several theories, each inconsistent with 

 the others, and with innumerable facts apparently con- 

 tradictory, all forming capital materials for his powers 

 of generalization to work upon. Of course, it is his 

 business to construct a theory and system of his own ; 

 and all that can be done is to help him by a few ge- 

 neral directions. As matters stand, it is very unlikely 

 that a salmon-fisher who requires elementary instruc- 

 tions in the art will find himself on Tweedside without 

 a keeper along with him to direct him. Indeed, salmon- 

 fishing must be learned by observing the modus ope- 

 randi as practised by one acquainted with it ; and for 



B 



