164 THE SCOTTISH ANGLER. 



(which, when captured, are not immediately taken out of 

 the box) perfectly soft and useless ; thirdly, by the oppor- 

 tunities they afford to the tacksman to avoid many speci- 

 fications of the act, and especially the one ordaining the 

 use of what is termed the Saturday slap ; and, fourthly, 

 by their interference with the natural rights of upper pro- 

 prietors on the river. Nay, we would go further, and also 

 have a veto placed upon net fishings, excepting those on 

 the sea-coast and at the mouths of rivers, ordaining the 

 use of the rod only. Nor would such an arrangement, if 

 carried into effect, prove in the least degree prejudicial to 

 the proprietors of fisheries, who might still farm their 

 waters with advantage, in the same manner as shootings 

 are let. 



Apart, however, from this view of matters, we think it 

 expedient that many of our waters north of the Tweed, 

 especially the Tay and its tributaries, should remain open 

 to rod. fishers until the middle of October ; all other me- 

 thods of destroying salmon being prohibited from the 14th 

 of September, as they are at present, and we have no rea- 

 son to believe that such a provision could be productive 

 of any material injury to our Scottish fisheries. 



THE END. 



Edinburgh : Printed by W. and R. Chambers, 

 19, Waterloo Place. 



