56 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SALMON FISHING 



stroke on the brain, the colours undulated away in 

 the most delicate and beautiful radiance. All this 

 is, indeed, exceedingly revolting to humanity, and 

 presents a tempting theme for the reprobation of 

 the poet and sentimentalist ; and yet I confess that 

 I cannot enter completely into this feeling, not only 

 from my enjoyment of, and relish for, the sport of 

 rod-fishing, but even from considerations of a more 

 legitimate bearing. I do not think that cold-blooded 

 animals suffer equally with warm-blooded ; and my 

 grounds for forming this opinion I shall shortly 

 state. I have often lost a trout which had gorged 

 my bait, and yet recaptured him in a short time 

 with the former hook deep fastened in his stomach, 

 and the broken line pending from his jaws. I, for 

 one, certainly should have had little appetite to 

 dine so soon after swallowing a fork. I have seen a 

 large trout enjoying the amplitude of a clear pond 

 with a couple of my fly-hooks appended to his nose. 

 Nay, I have even witnessed him rising to a natural 

 fly in this situation, whilst, fisher-like, he caught a 

 smaller companion by the depending hook. Nature 

 is wonderfully benevolent to her children. The 

 absence of all kind of medical aid in the waters 

 seems to be fully compensated by the vis medicatrix 

 natures- an old experienced practitioner, by whose 

 management the most severe wounds made by the 

 pike upon the trout, and the grampus upon the 

 salmon, are safely and rapidly cured. I have caught 

 trouts, particularly in the neighbourhood where pike 

 harbour, in various states of mutilation, yet seem- 

 ingly in good health and spirits ; from all which I 



