2IO Salmon Fishing. 



was administered to me by another friend for 

 giving a fish to a man who had frequently 

 pointed out where he had seen salmon rise, 

 and more than once had climbed high trees to 

 extricate my fly from the branches. 



I was rebuked for rewarding this man on the 

 same grounds, viz., that he was a poacher. 



Now, with regard to the first man, I was in 

 ignorance of his poaching propensities ; though 

 I had my suspicions about the other, from some 

 sinister reports that reached my ear. 



The question here may be fairly asked ; did 

 the present of a few hooks at all tend to en- 

 courage the former in his mal-practices, provided 

 he was really amenable to them ? Or was the 

 other so determined to get what he could in 

 the shape of illegal plunder, seeing that un- 

 asked he had informed me of rising fish in the 

 very pool nearest his dwelling-place ; and often 

 helped to land them for me. 



The opinion of the humbler classes in general 

 is, I fear, that sportsmen are a sadly selfish set 



