I cannot bear a female "barber or a male " chamber- 

 maid." Do many ladies angle in Scotland, Tweddell? 



TWEDDELL. Not to my knowledge. I have 

 known a lady once or twice try a few casts with a 

 gentleman's rod, and hook a trout too, "but I cannot 

 say that I ever knew one who was a professional fly- 

 fisher. I, however, once saw a woman kill two 

 salmon, with the fly, in the Tweed, about a mile 

 above Kelso, in March 1832. She fished -from a boat, 

 which was also managed by a female companion. 

 I was out with a friend the same day, and though 

 we had several rises, we both failed in killing a sin- 

 gle salmon. 



FISHER. Cedant braccae stolae, "Fy, Sandy, 

 yield the breeks to Meg!" What kind of sport have 

 you had in trout-fishing in your part of the country 

 this season? 



TWEDDELL. Not very good, except in the early 

 part In such a dry summer as this has been there 

 is not much sport after sheep-washing begins, unless 

 there be a good spate shortly after, to purify the 

 streams. During sheep-washing, and for a fortnight 

 or three weeks afterwards, trout are very shy of rising, 

 more especially if the water be low. I have often 

 spoken with old anglers about the cause of this, and 

 have heard different reasons as signed for this shyness 

 of the trout. One says that they are sick, in conse- 

 quence of the water being impregnated with the tar 

 and grease which is washed from the fleeces of the 

 sheep; another, that it is as much owing to the 



