SALMON FISHING IN LABRADOR. 215 



beauties ; but, unfortunately, the gentleman 1 hooked, 

 in the first exhibition of his disgust at being so egre^ 

 giously sold, returned the compliment and victimised 

 me by taking away a portion of my leader and the 

 fly. The hornet so far had done my morning's work, 

 and not having a second, I mounted the drummer ; 

 the alteration in choice was not detrimental) for at the 

 seventh or eighth cast I hooked a handsome fellow, 

 who after a well- con tested battle struck his colours* 

 On moving downwards, I almost placed my foot on 

 a duck with a numerous progeny. Depositing my 

 rod carefully, I started in pursuit. Though scarcely 

 as fleet as a greyhound, I have a tolerably long pair 

 of useful legs, but although I put them to the best 

 use, it was all of no avail : the little bunches of fluff 

 and down fairly ran me to a standstill. Several times 

 I tried to throw myself on them, but their agility 

 and marvellous powers of dodging, first squatting in 

 one tuft of grass, then in another, forced me to give 

 up the contest. A few minutes after, I saw the whole 

 party, under their parent's guidance, making their 

 best exertions to reach the opposite shore. This duck 

 was of a variety to me entirely new, about the size 

 of the wood duck, but entirely different in colouring. 

 Tire nearest approach to it I know of is a water-fowl 

 known on the Ohio and Wabash rivers as winter duck 



