22 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



rod-fishing season 14th September to 30th November. In 

 this period, be it noted, there are sixty-four fishing days, and I 

 find that on an average Sir Richard appears to fish about 

 thirty- eight days. 



As these records date from 1873 I give them in the form of 

 quinquennial averages : 167, 101, 227, 129, 106, 136, 177, 98, 

 119. 



The record month's catch for the Sprouston water is, I 

 believe, 36 fish killed by Lord Home in April 1875. That 

 this should have been done in a spring month is specially 

 interesting. And as a record showing the number of fish 

 which may be in the Dub at one time, I may add that in the 

 old times when leistering was regarded as legitimate sport, 

 Lord John Scott and party killed in one night by this means 

 84 fish. 



Below Hendersyde water comes Birgham, the property of 

 the Earl of Home. Here at the top of the water we have 

 another famous dub the Birgham Dub, followed by twenty- 

 eight good pools. In the south bank, Carham shares the water, 

 and Carham Burn is the boundary between Scotland and 

 England on this side. 



Many fishings in Scotland, especially in the Lowlands, have 

 remarkable names for some of the casts. The Birgham fishings 

 are, I think, as peculiar in this way as any I have come across. 

 Here is a selection : Corbie-nest, Jean-my-lady, Long-ship-end, 

 Flummery, Dritten-ass, Glitters, Bloody-breeks, Mark's- 

 shilling-head, Shaw's mare. It was probably from one of 

 these pools that, in the early " thirties " of last century, the 

 Earl of Home then living landed the record fish of Tweed. 

 A letter dated 1835 written by the present Lord Douglas's great- 

 grandfather has been kindly shown to me, in which this monster 

 is referred to. The fish was 69 f lb., and therefore takes rank 

 amongst the very heaviest fish which have been killed on the 

 rod in Britain. It is, I think, the heaviest in Scotland. Par- 

 ticulars such as those already given for the Floors fish killed 

 in 1886 are unfortunately not available. We can only try to 

 visualise a salmon about five feet long. It is well to note the 

 precision of the weight. Many a salmon fisher would have 

 added that quarter pound and called the fish a 70-pounder, and 

 thereby the accuracy of the record would have been doubted. 



