152 THE SALMON 



3 lb. more. His length was four feet one and a half 

 inches, and his girth two feet five ; a male fish, rather 

 coloured, but perfect in shape and condition. The 

 subsequent examination of the tackle showed that 

 the risk of losing him had been considerable, as the 

 reel line was cut a quarter through where it had 

 grated against the shingle, and had to be removed as 

 untrustworthy, and one strand of the double gut eye 

 of the fly was severed and standing out at right 

 angles. 



The great authority on the size of salmon is 

 Mr. Henry Ffennell, who has devoted much time 

 and trouble to testing the accuracy of the alleged 

 captures of large fish. Many such legends have been 

 shattered in the process, but he has kindly supplied 

 me with the following instances of fish of 50 lb. and 

 over, taken with rod and line in the United Kingdom 

 since 1870, which may be relied upon as strictly 

 accurate. All of them appeared under Mr. Ffen- 

 nell's name in the ' Times,'" and were verified before 

 publication. 



1870. Mr. Haggard caught a fish of 61 lb. in the 

 Stanley waters of the Tay. 



1872. An angler landed a salmon of 58 lb. on the 

 Shannon, and Dr. A. Peck took one of 51^ lb. in the 

 Cumberland Derwent. 



