48 FISH : THEIR HABITS AND HAUNTS. 



SALMON. 



The salmon is the noblest of fresh-water 

 fish, and stands highest in the angler's esti- 

 mation. He is the king of the streams ; his 

 title to precedence has never yet been ques- 

 tioned ; his magnitude, his keen and lively 

 eye, his shining silvery scales, his muscular 

 powers, his rapid and graceful motions, his 

 beautiful proportions, his intellectual in- 

 stincts, and his rich, delicate flavor, all unite in 

 establishing his superiority over all other fish. 

 Neither should it be forgotten that salmon- 

 fishing is considered the angler's highest 

 sport, whilst it affords the best criterion of 

 his professional skill. Indeed, success in 

 angling for this noble fish may be deemed 

 the measure or standard of the angler's dex- 

 terity, the test of his art, the legitimate 

 object of his loftiest aspirations, affording 

 undeniable proof of his fitness to take his 



