136 THE HABITS OF THE SALMON. 



often gaffed without a thought as to whether they 

 are clean fish or kelts, the hook is ruthlessly torn or cut 

 out of their mouths, or from whatever part of their 

 body it may be fixed in, and the poor things, bleeding 

 and mutilated, thrown into the river with a kick and a 

 flourish of adjectives. What chance, may I ask, has 

 a spent fish thus ill-treated of living to return to the 

 river as a clean fish ? It is doubtless very annoying 

 and trying to the patience to fish the whole day and 

 land only spent fish ; but the angler whose temper 

 is so tried should bear in mind that these very fish 

 which they think are such a nuisance, and often tear 

 their pet flies to pieces, have been clean fish the 

 previous year, and have run the risk like many 

 other salmon of being captured by him. It may be 

 that he has had more than one old kelt at the end 

 of his line, which, having gallantly fought for its life, 

 has yet escaped. Moreover, the very kelts anglers 

 so despise and ill-use, may, if tenderly handled and 

 returned to the river with the least possible delay, 

 live and become their legitimate prey as clean fish 



