182 THE SALMON. 



for salmon is sometimes successfully practised, iu the 

 firths, where sand-eels are used as bait; a line is 

 attached to a buoy or bladder and allowed to float 

 with the tide up the narrow estuaries. The salmon 

 are also said to be occasionally taken at the lines set 

 for haddocks, baited with sand-eels." 



I recollect seeing a fish 10 pounds in weight, of the 

 solar species, which was taken in this way off the 

 coast of Cromarty, during the winter of 1836, the bait 

 used being part of a garvie or small herring. At the 

 mouths of rivers, they rise freely at the artificial fly 

 within fifty yards of the sea, and the common earth 

 worm is a deadly bait for the clear salmon. All other 

 marine salmon are known to be very voracious, and 

 there is nothing in the structure of the mouth or strong 

 teeth of the common salmon to warrant us to suppose 

 that there is any material difference in their food." In 

 reference also to the sea trout, Sir W. Jardine, as 

 quoted by Mr. Yarrell, adduces the following remark- 

 able circumstance: "When angled for in the estuaries 

 with the ordinary flies which are used in the rivers of 

 the south for grilse, these fish rose and took so eagerly 

 that thirty-four were the produce of one rod engaged 

 for about an hour and a half." Although personally 

 I have never had the good hap to kill above one or two 

 sea-trout with fly in salt water; of course, I do not 

 include salmon fry or small finnocks, yet from the 

 appearance which these fish present at certain seasons, 

 on our coasts, I can readily give credence to the feat 

 above related, whether performed by Sir W. himself, or 

 under his superintendence as an eye-witness. With 

 regard to the common earth-worm as a bait for sea- 

 trout, I have ample authority for stating that it is 

 employed as such, with success, by the inhabitants of 



