INTRODUCTION. v 



to belong. I am merely an angler of long and 

 varied experience ; and during my angling visits to 

 various rivers, I have had such opportunities of 

 studying the habits of salmon and of acquiring 

 valuable information on many of the topics relating 

 to them as few other fishermen have enjoyed. 



I do not for a moment expect my readers to 

 agree with all the conclusions at which I have arrived. 

 On the contrary, it is my desire to provoke practical 

 and reasonable discussion upon many controverted 

 questions. If others who may have kept their eyes 

 open while they fished were to contribute their quota 

 to the present stock of knowledge, we might eventually 

 hope to arrive at some kind of unanimity, and a day 

 might come when upper proprietors, proprietors of 

 net-fisheries, and anglers, would shake hands and 

 meet in harmony to discuss new projects for their 

 own mutual benefit. 



Pending the arrival of such a millennial happiness, 

 I venture to send out this little volume as a slight 

 contribution towards so desirable an end. 



