THE ETTRICKc 105 



landowners have never availed themselves of the 

 power of netting which is so improperly given to them 

 by Lord Minto's Act. There are no such exhibitions 

 on the Scotch borders as are common in some parts of 

 England, of parties of ladies and gentlemen assembling 

 to enjoy the sport of netting a river for trout such, 

 for instance, as that which occurred on the Eamont in 

 Cumberland some half-dozen of years ago, when Lord 

 Brougham and his friends were interrupted by a party 

 of watchers, and had to make fight in order to keep the 

 net from the clutches of their opponents. The execra- 

 tions of the angling- community would probably stop 

 these attempts, even if they are to be held legal ; but 

 we are happy to believe that better notions of sport, and 

 some lingering compunction as to ,the rights of the 

 public, are in Scotland sufficient to deter the class 

 possessed of the privilege from ever proposing to use 

 it. It is to the English notions of exclusiveness, of 

 carefully keeping to oneself whatever one is entitled 

 to, that we owe the prohibitions of sport, and the 

 shutting up of pathways, that have led to so much ill- 

 blood of late years. 



The Ettrick is most readily approached from Sel- 

 kirk, a little above which town it is joined by the 

 Yarrow. It rises near the foot of Ettrick Pen, a high 

 hill which also overlooks the source of the Esk. The 

 very head of the Ettrick lies nearer to Moffat than to 

 any other point to which the angler can be conveyed 

 by railway or other regular means ; but there is not 

 any accommodation to be had above Tushilaw, about 

 ten miles from the source of the river, and about thir- 

 teen miles from Selkirk. So that if he wishes to fish 



