96 THE SALMON 



CHAPTER V 



SMALL HIGHLAND STREAMS 



I have in a previous passage alluded to the price 

 which the angler must expect to pay for his sport; and 

 it may be taken as an established fact that the rents 

 of really good stretches of water go on steadily increas- 

 ing, and that in the rare instances where there is a 

 fall of price, it is only because for some reason the fish- 

 ng has greatly deteriorated, and the fact has become 

 public property. Rivers which used to let for 200/. or 

 300/. a year are now subdivided into numerous beats, 

 each commanding a similar rent, and well-known 

 fishings fetch a fancy price, and, like the choicest 

 grouse moors, seldom get into the agents' hands, but 

 are eagerly competed for on the death or departure of 

 an old tenant. It is highly advisable before renting 

 a salmon river to obtain information from some one 

 who has previously and recently fished the water. 

 An experienced sportsman may form a trustworthy 

 opinion of the merits of a grouse moor by walking on 



