78 TWEEDSIDE. 



sacrificed to their wants, from nine to twelve 

 feet in length, darts this weapon at the fish, 



' The shaft glides swiftly through his horny hands, 

 And quick as lightning o'er the fish he stands,' 



springing at the same time into the water, some- 

 times up to his middle, pinning the fish to the 

 bottom as it were, and, which is immediately 

 secured and thrown out to the standers by, at 

 the side. This, of course, is illicit or black fishing. 

 I have seen three or four burnings all going on 

 the same night, and all the laws that are made, 

 and all the watchers that are put on, cannot stop 

 this. As an instance of destructiveness in this 

 way, a poacher of Selkirk, well known to be so, 

 when asked by a friend, in a quiet way, how 

 many were killed in a week ? answered dryly , he 

 did not know how many others took, but for his 

 part, along with two others of the same profession, 

 he took off the Howden Rack below Yair Bridge, 

 during one night, four corn sacks full. I have 

 been told by an old man, and a keen fisher too, 

 that long ago, when there were few or no restric- 



o O / 



tions on fresh water or other fish, nothing of 

 night or net fishing was heard of, but that when- 

 ever gentlemen began to preserve their different 



