164 CAPE SB ETON. 



dammed as in Nova Scotia, and salmon run up many of 

 the other rivers, but late in the season. 



The Margaree is the best free river, not only in Nova 

 Scotia, but in the Dominion, and it is the only river in 

 the Dominion on which the angler is not devoured by 

 flies. When the forest is cut down, the flies disappear. 

 This river flows through a large cleared intervale between 

 two ranges of high forest-clad hills. But the Margaree, 

 notwithstanding its many charms, is not the angler's 

 paradise. Were it so, I fear I should be selfish enough 

 not to divulge the fact to my readers. Angling, though 

 a refining, civilizing, gentle sport (the partisans of vivi- 

 section notwithstanding), brings out some of the worst 

 qualities of our nature, and those of the fraternity who 

 are not troubled with a superfluity of coin, when they hit 

 upon a really good thing, are forced to be selfish, in order 

 to save their own fishing. There are only a few miles of 

 really good fishing water, and on this there are twelve or 

 fourteen rods generally. The Americans have destroyed 

 all their own rivers by reckless mismanagement, and of 

 late years, having taken to angling, they haunt Canadian 

 rivers to the advantage of canoe-men and others, but to 

 the sad perplexity of Canadian anglers. 



On a river, such as I have been describing, the idiosyn- 

 crasies of anglers can be studied. First we have the 

 plodding, patient, persevering fisherman, who flogs the 

 water from early morning to late evening, often without 

 even seeing a fin. What an amount of hope, faith, and 

 patience he displays ! He takes his pleasure sadly enough, 

 for when you tell him that there is no use in fishing, he 

 acknowledges with a sigh that yow are right, but flogs 



