78 THE BORDER ANGLER. 



who reside at a distance. Possibly a civil application 

 might frequently be successful ; but high rents are 

 given for the waters, and it is hardly to be expected, 

 therefore, that the privilege should go a-begging. 



Here, too, there have been some mutterings, we 

 believe, of greedy discontent that the right of angling 

 for trouts should be retained by the public, and some 

 placards have been stuck up threatening the utmost 

 rigour of the law, &c. As that rigour is not very 

 great, however at the utmost there could only be an 

 action for trespass, and compensation exacted for 

 damage done we do not recommend the angler to 

 abstain from choosing what streams he thinks best. 

 He cannot well go wrong ; and if, wandering down to 

 about Leader-foot before beginning, he fishes round 

 the pleasant haughs of Old Melrose to Dryburgh bridge, 

 leaving off in time to walk up by St. Boswell's taking 

 a single dram there to New town station, with ordi- 

 nary skill he may make sure of a creel-full. If fishing 

 with creeper, may-fly, or with worm in summer-time, 

 for which there are capital streams in this stretch of 

 water, he ought to go to Dryburgh-bridge in the morn- 

 ing, and fish up. He must not, as we have said, choose 

 the deep and rapidly flowing streams, but the very 

 shallowest ones he can pick out, or the thin sides of 

 the deeper ones. Hereabouts in the Tweed, and fur- 

 ther down, there is always a chance of a whitling or 

 sea-trout, and in spring it will frequently happen that 

 the trout- angler may hook a kelt. We have already 

 warned him, however, to return kelts to the water with 

 all possible care. 



St. Boswell's, or Lessudden, about five miles from 



