70 A RIVER OF NORWAY 



of the floes, is one of the curses of Norwegian 

 rivers. Their continual tendency is to become 

 more even-flowing, and to develop long stretches 

 of water useless except for harling, in the place 

 of pools suitable for casting. Now that fishing 

 rights have become so valuable, attempts are 

 frequently made to cope with this tendency, 

 sometimes with success. But such work re- 

 quires to be done well and carefully. On a 

 river in the South of Norway, with which I 

 am acquainted, the owner some years ago built 

 a wall across a rapid, and created a fine little 

 pool. The wall was built loosely of large 

 boulders and looked very insecure when I visited 

 the river. Recently, in a big flood, it gave way ; 

 and not only has the artificial pool disappeared, 

 but the debris has choked up and ruined a pool 

 below, which happened to be the best piece of 

 water on the river. 



For half a mile or more above the island 

 there is such a stretch of water. The lower 

 part of it, where the river is broad and com- 

 paratively shallow, and flows with a moderate 

 stream, is a great haunt of grilse and sea trout 

 in August, and salmon have occasionally been 

 killed there in July ; but its length and the 



