171 



empties its maw, in which nothing is ever found. la 

 this it resembles the woodcock and the snipe, which void 

 their excrement whenever they take wing. 



Before I quit this part of our subject, I must inform 

 my readers, that great numbers of salmon are taken in 

 the Highlands of Scotland, in those pools generally 

 formed by the impetuosity of the current, under falls, by 

 means of what is caled the st anger. 



This is a stiff pole about 12 feet in length, with a me- 

 tal loop at its end, and rings along it, as in ro.ds -, through 

 these a strong hair line is passed, having at its end a very 

 strong double hook, very sharp at the points, and deeply 

 barbed. The superfluous line is wound on a cross stick, 

 as before described. The operator lets down the hook 

 into the water, to the -depth of 1 2 or 15 feet, holding 

 down die point of his rod as low as he can reach. After 

 allowing it to remain in this position for a litttle while, he 

 raises the point of his rod, as far as lie can reach, with a 

 sudden pull. 



It has sometimes happened, that a salmon has been qa 

 each hook ! This would appear a very improbable man- 

 ner of catching ribh ; nevertheless, I have seen seveti 

 caught in an hour > and know for certain, that the mail 

 who caught them did, in the course of one day, thus ob- 

 tain upwards of seven scores of salmon, weighing from 

 six to fifteen pounds each: some were caught by die 

 head, others by the belly, or near the tail, just as they 

 chanced to be in the way of the hooks when they were 

 jerked up. 



Evea in -this mode of catching, some skill was required 



to get the lish safely out of the water 5 it being impossible 



to judge ho\r for Uie hook had penetrated, Each fish 



i 2 w< ^ 



