1 32 THE SALMON 



Apostolical recreation that I venture to allude to him 

 here. A keener hand on Tay, Spey, and Tweed 

 never existed, and although he had no river of his 

 own, he was a deservedly popular guest on many of 

 the best stretches of water in Scotland, notably at 

 Gordon Castle and at the celebrated Pavilion beat 

 near Melrose. He not merely cast a beautiful line, 

 but knew every trick of the trade, and was an adept 

 at making his own flies, an accomplishment which is 

 gradually becoming rarer with the improvement of pro- 

 fessional work, and the development of the modern 

 tendency to specialise. He also used to write inter- 

 minable cantos in the metre of Sir Walter Scott's 

 narrative poems, describing minutely his day's sport 

 and recording in verse every change of fly, rise, and 

 incident of the play till each fish was gaffed or lost. 

 Some of these verses were privately printed and 

 given to friends, and I have read them at different 

 places where I have been a visitor with him, but 

 cannot remember more than their general nature, 

 metre, and subject. As might be supposed, they were 

 more interesting as literary curiosities than as lyrical 

 effusions ; for I doubt whether Tennyson, or Shelley 

 himself, could have found much inspiration in such a 

 subject. His generous disposal of his spoils was 

 once the cause of great expense to his parish. A 



