150 ON MINNOW AND PARR-TAIL FISHING. 



nay, I have been a witness to instances of their actually 

 running aground in pursuit of the bait. Trout also, I 

 have seen so earnest in the chase, as with difficulty to 

 regain their way back from the shallows into deep 

 water ; but this is of rarer occurrence with them than 

 with the fish above mentioned. On the contrary, they 

 often exhibit no sign of their presence, and are passed 

 over unawares by the careless and hasty angler, whose 

 bait they had actually pursued and would in all pro- 

 bability have taken hold of, had he not abruptly with- 

 drawn it from their vision. I know of an instance 

 which occurred on Tweedside, of two individuals fol- 

 lowing each other on the same side of the river, at a 

 distance not exceeding sixty or a hundred yards, and 

 the one to whom precedence was given, although at the 

 outset equipped from the same store of bait and min- 

 now tackle as his friend, failing notwithstanding to 

 capture above half the weight or quantity of fish. I 

 may mention too, that on this occasion, the day was 

 favourable, the water in trim, and trout taking freely. 

 Both anglers besides, commenced and concluded ope- 

 rations at the same time. How then, it will be asked, 

 was such a result to be accounted for ? I allow that 

 greater skill and science were on the part of the more 

 successful sportsman ; but the other, a native also of 

 Tweedside, was by no means an indifferent fisher, and 

 the advantage given to him, taking into consideration 

 the nature of the bait, was such, that were he able to 

 throw a line at all, he ought, without question, com- 

 pletely to have marred the sport of any one immediately 

 following him. But then, mark the reason of his 

 failure. He neglected to edge his minnow omitted to 

 exhaust his cast abruptly withdrew his tackle, when 

 in midway. On these points it was that the superior 



