NORTHUMBERLAND 



always closes up even the smallest burn, regardless of 

 fish logic ; and partly perhaps to the prevalence of the 

 novus homo on a large scale, to whom the mere sensa- 

 tion of ownership carries with it an undiscriminating 

 desire to exercise its extreme rights, even when 

 perfectly useless. I always remember a day granted 

 me in a big burn by a rather magnificent gentleman 

 of this type as an illustration of what I mean. The 

 most respectable stranger would not, I am sure, have 

 stood the ghost of a chance of getting a permit, but 

 as a matter of fact my introduction was rather an 

 intimate one, and it produced a letter giving me one 

 day in the precious burn, of which there was about 

 three miles, very rough and heavily wooded in char- 

 acter. I don't suppose the owner ever fished it in 

 his life, though very likely he had a salmon river in 

 Norway, to which he proceeded in his own steam 

 yacht. The water was in good order, and it was 

 a beautiful stream and of a fair size. I fished up 

 the whole three miles, chiefly in the water, for the 

 fohage, which was beautiful, intrenched it nearly 

 everywhere. It took me about eight hours to cover it. 

 I am quite certain that I rose over a thousand fish, 

 for they were coming extraordinarily short, and con- 

 stantly two at a time, and I am equally certain that 

 I did not see six of a quarter of a pound in weight 

 the whole day. The Httle river was simply crammed 

 with fingerlings, and hopelessly over-stocked, a state 

 of things I should say, unnatural to it, and indeed, as 

 I was told, of recent development. Yet my friend's 

 friend gave me one day with great ceremony. It is 

 true that one day was enough, and more than enough, 



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