CHAPTER XXXVII 



FISHING YARNS 



Sir Samuel Montagu, M.P., when presiding at the annual 

 dinner of the Fly-fishers Club, laid it down as an axiom 

 that in estimating the veracity of anglers' tales as to the 

 weight and size of fish landed or lost, one-third of both 

 size and weight should be deducted. No dissent was 

 offered by any angler present, probably for the very good 

 reason that everyone felt that the deduction was a moderate 

 one. If Sir Samuel had said two-thirds, I am sure that 

 there are plenty of anglers who could have supplied him 

 with evidence to prove that even that allowance was not 

 too great. A Scotch fisherman, residing on the shores of 

 a certain loch, when asked why the fish in a neighbouring 

 loch ran so much bigger than his own, replied, " It's no 

 the fish that's bigger, but they're bigger leears up there." 

 He did not, you will note, attempt to deny that he was a 

 " leear," he only contended that his brethren on the other 

 loch were " bigger leears." 



Now, why is it that anglers are notoriously greater liars 

 than other sportsmen? It is, I believe, an undisputed fact 

 that no man can be trusted to tell the truth when he is 

 trying to sell a horse. That famous Father of Foxhunting, 

 John Warde, used to say, " Never believe a word any 

 man says about a horse he wishes to sell — not even a 

 bishop" And no man was more qualified to speak from 

 experience than the old foxhunter. Horses and fish 

 appear to demoralise all who are brought into contact with 

 them. I do not attempt to explain this peculiar propensity 

 of human nature. I merely state the fact and leave the 

 explanation to professors of ethics. 



But this is a harmless failing. It injures no one; it 



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