212 DISTANCE SALMON CAN JUMP. 



into requisition, it bounds beyond the water's sur- 

 face, in an obliquely vertical direction, a distance 

 double that of six feet, if it is necessary that 

 it should do so. I have seen a grilse, and not 

 a very large one, jump upwards and forwards 

 somewhat obliquely the length, I and another cal- 

 culated, of my fishing-rod, viz., seventeen feet. 

 Mr. Young and other observant authorities have 

 told me, that before a portion of the mass of rock, 

 which is the cause of the large Shin water-fall, 

 was blasted, its first ledge was sixteen feet from 

 the surface of the water when the river was at its 

 average height. Salmon could spring into the 

 water on this ledge at a bound, and then stemming 

 the arch-formed cataract, they would ascend to 

 the upper pools. A little below the great Sliin 

 fall is a pool, by the cliffs of the left hand bank 

 running rapidly and deeply, called " Angus's 

 Pool." In it I hooked one day a large grilse, 

 which on being struck spang perpendicularly to a 

 distance of at least ten feet — I am confident I 

 may say twelve — above the surface of the water, 

 and then threw a sort of descending summerset 

 backward to the extent of sixteen or seventeen 

 feet. 



Witnessing salmon jumping will ever be a fa- 

 vourite amusement of mine. It completes my 



