152 A RIVER OF NORWAY 



and her Laplanders, in 1841 ; with a few hints 

 to the Salmon Fisher." The hints are not 

 valuable. He refers the reader to Mr. Belton's 

 volumes, which, however, he fears "by ex- 

 patiating on the merits of Norway, its facilities, 

 and unexampled sport, have peopled the once 

 lonely river banks with our erratic country- 

 men." His views of the future are very 

 pessimistic : " The fishing will every day 

 diminish ; the feree naturae of course recede 

 before civilisation ; man is doomed to be their 

 master and destroyer. The Norwegians, who 

 are excellent in copying, although slow in in- 

 vention, have already begun to imitate those 

 processes which the English angler has taught 

 them." They now construct rude flies ; and 

 if they cannot "kill many fish, either by their 

 aid, or by that of the worm or the net, they 

 nevertheless by constantly troubling and worry- 

 ing the waters, drive the salmon away, make 

 them shy, and spoil the sport of the scientific 

 professor, who has come more than a thousand 

 weary miles only to find himself anticipated 

 by those who, like the heron, live on the river 

 bank, and never miss an opportunity." 



Like Mr. Belton, Mr. Milford seems to have 



