230 SALMON FISHING IN THE TWEED 



occurred, and I told my fisherman to set the net 

 belonging to it that night ; he did so with a very 

 bad grace, assuring me that it was perfectly use- 

 less ; or, as he was pleased to express himself, "just 

 perfect nonsense." Nevertheless the fish, having 

 started from his stream, was caught in it that 

 night. 



John Crerar mentioned to me another instance 

 where a salmon, having broken a fisherman's line, 

 went down the Tay for a mile, and then up the 

 Tummel three miles, and was there caught the day 

 following by the same fisherman, who thus regained 

 his fly with two or three fathoms of line attached 

 to it. 



On the other hand, I know of three well- 

 attested instances of salmon having been caught 

 almost immediately after they had broken the fisher- 

 man's line ; but I conclude these fish were touched 

 at first in a part that was scarcely sensitive. A 

 very curious circumstance of this sort occurred 

 in Islay, where a gentleman was broken by a 

 salmon, which he caught immediately afterwards ; 

 upon landing it, he found, to his amazement, that 

 he had not touched the fish itself the second time, 

 but that his hook was linked in the one left in his 

 mouth previously. This was a very delicate affair ; 

 for had not the pull upon the fish been moderate 

 and even, he must inevitably have escaped. As 

 for my own practice, I never recollect having risen 

 a fish a second time that had touched my hook 

 previously. 



What I have said regarding the number of fish 

 lost or set down in trolling is so universally 



