106 IN PRAISE OF THE SHIN. 



salmon and sea-trout fly-fisher than any other 

 streams in the empire. I attribute their supe- 

 riority to their excellent management by Mr. 

 Andrew Young and others, who zealously carry 

 out the wishes of his Grace the Duke of Suther- 

 land, embodied in instructions communicated by 

 his Grace's chief agents, Mr. Loch, M. P., and 

 Mr. Gunn, to the immediately superintending 

 managers, and by them caused to be minutely 

 carried into effect. I appreciate these rivers so 

 highly, that, after describing the several standard 

 flies for them, I shall write a little sketch of each. 

 I shall begin with the celebrated river Shin, 

 the best river in Sutherlandshire, and the best I 

 ever fished in. Mr. Young lives at Invershin, at 

 the mouth of the river, and he has the power of 

 permitting gentlemen to angle in it on certain con- 

 ditions. Last season I killed fifty-four salmon in 

 it in fifty-five hours, and the flies I used were the 

 three represented in Plate No. III., and marked 

 No. 7, 8, 9., with the two numbered 10 and 11. 

 on Plate No. IV. The green-bodied fly, marked 

 TTo. 10., was the most successful of aU ; but if I 

 were to fish the Shin again, my favourite summer 

 and autumn fly should be the Ondine of Plate 

 No. V. The next two are local Shin-flies : the 

 third fly is not. 



