A PLEA FOR TOURISTS. 35 



law of the land throws over them its protective 

 shield. But in those days of rapid ascent, what 

 sport is open to the fisherman ! With a " bit of a 

 fresh " in the water, a stiff westerly wind blowing, 

 the air as exhilarating as a dram, and tackle in 

 order, these running fish will take as gaily as a kelt 

 in spring, and there are plenty of them for alL The 

 millionaire who rents a river, and who might throw 

 open part of it to the fisliing public on such terms 

 as should prevent the water from being robbed, will 

 naturally reserve the best pools ; he has thus the 

 best chance of sport ; but every angler knows, or will 

 come to learn, that with fresh-run grilse the chance 

 amounts simply to that of coming over the fish when 

 they are in a taking humour. They may be sullen 

 in one pool and lively in the next : if they pass on 

 scatheless the chance is gone, probably for ever. 

 Last summer, in the month of July, there was a most 

 opportune flood in the river which passes the writer's 

 door. The grilse tasted it afar off, and instead of 

 coasting along the shore as they usually do, with the 

 certainty of falling into the traps of stake-net and 

 bag-net fishers, they struck at once into the channel 

 of the estuary, and bounded up stream like school- 

 boys to their playground. Great was the sport while 

 the " run " lasted. When it was at its height, a friend 

 took an evening cast, and literally, as fast as he could 

 land them, he laid on the green sward by the river's 



