riSC A TOR AND VENATOR 



175 



the great days are those on which you catch a larger 

 number of salmon, a greater aggregate weight, or a 

 bigger fish than you have ever caught before ; and if 

 you also have done better in any respect than anyone 

 has ever been known to do previously on the par- 

 ticluar water you are fishing, it undeniably adds zest 

 to your triumph. The phrase ' beating the record ' is 

 of modern origin, and rather jars upon my ear, but 

 the desire 



aiev dpHTTeveLV Kai vneipn^os epfievai d\Xa>v 



is at least as old as Homer. I have never myself 

 kept a formal fishing register, although I have from 

 time to time jotted down the weights and numbers 

 caught on special occasions, in my pocket Almanack, 

 and 1 am sorry for my neglect. Such sporting 

 memoranda are interesting to look back upon, and, 

 when they relate to the forest or the river, unobjec- 

 tionable. 



'But,' says Lochiel, 'take as the next test the 

 disappointment resulting from a bad day. Here 

 salmon-fishing may be put out of court. No one 

 will deny that an absolutely blank day's fishing is a 

 disappointment unmitigated by any other circum- 

 stances attendant on the sport The fisherman has 

 been engaged in monotonous exertion all day long, 

 and experiences the sensation of having wasted his 



