4 ANGLING & ART IN SCOTLAND 



closely-connecting link for all time between them ; 

 it is that common, though wonderful and ever- 

 changing fluid, which we call Water. 



A landscape painting may possess charm without 

 the introduction of that exquisite element into its 

 composition ; but a roomful of such would appear 

 monotonous : for whether water be placid and calm, 

 or turbulent and rushing, or whether it be invested 

 — as in its more awful moods — with a terrible and 

 sublime power, at all times it exercises upon the 

 human mind an influence beyond the pale of every 

 other element ; while for angling, water is a 

 necessity. 



A man may be a painter and yet not an angler, 

 though it were better for him were he both ; for 

 in the pursuit of angling he would gain a wider 

 knowledge of Nature and the habits of her creatures 

 — of the tone relations of water to sky. And so 

 also may he be a fisherman and yet not paint land- 

 scapes, but were he to do so he would find an 

 added delight in his rambles by river and lake ; 

 for the angler appreciates the beauties of scenery 

 more than others, through his intimate knowledge 

 of Nature. 



So are the two crafts strongly allied, and to 



