SALMON FISHING IN THE TWEED 



table of spectral colours in his distinguished 

 " Philosophical Magazine." 



I have said that there is no animal in nature re- 

 sembling our salmon flies ; but I once caught a fish 

 who was certainly persuaded that he was attacking 

 an animal that he had previously seen flying. This 

 event happened when I was a novice. Walter 

 Ronaldson was attending me, and we were walking 

 by the side of the Elm-wheel in the Pavilion-water. 

 Walter was some way in advance, when I saw a 

 white butterfly fluttering up and down over the 

 water, and a salmon make a fruitless dart at it. It 

 chanced that I had made some large salmon flies 

 with white wings, in imitation of a pattern that 

 was formerly the fashion for trout fishing, and was 

 called, I know not why, the coachman. One of 

 these I immediately looped to my line : the fish, no 

 doubt taking it for the butterfly that he saw flitting 

 above him, came at it at once, and I took him. 

 When he was landed, Walter's astonishment was 

 great when he saw the fly, and he made a dozen 

 imitations of it before he laid his head on the 

 pillow. I should not think that under other 

 circumstances such a fly would be alluring. 



When a man toils a long time without success, 

 he is apt to attribute his failure to the using an 

 improper fly ; so he changes his book through, till 

 at last, perhaps, he catches fish. The fly with 

 which he achieves this is naturally enough a 

 favourite ever afterwards, and probably without 

 reason : the cause of success might be in the change 

 of air and temperature of the water ; and the same 

 thing would probably have occurred if he had 



