SALMON. 19 



teeth of the common Salmon, to warrant us to suppose that 

 there is any material difference in their food."" The follow- 

 ing is an extract from a letter sent me by Sir William Jar- 

 dine, dated St. Boswell's, 15 April 1835 : " The fisherman 

 who rents this part of the Tweed, fishing with worm one day 

 last week, had his hooks and tackle taken away by a fish. 

 He put on a new set, and again with worm in ten minutes 

 hooked and killed a Salmon with his former hooks and bait 

 in his mouth. This will either prove extreme voracity, or 

 little sensibility in the parts of the mouth. I have often 

 heard fishermen mention a similar fact, but never before 

 knew an instance on which I could depend." 



Several observers have borne testimony to the partiality of 

 the Salmon to the Sandlaunce as food ; and I have a record 

 by an angler of Salmon caught in the Wye with a Min- 

 now. 



The present London season, 1835, has been more than of 

 usually remarkable for large Salmon. I have seen ten dif- 

 ferent fish varying from thirty-eight to forty pounds each. 

 A notice appeared in the public papers of one that weighed 

 fifty-five pounds ; and, from the inquiries made, there is rea- 

 son to believe most of these large-sized Salmon were sent 

 from the Tay. Salmon, however, of much larger size have 

 been occasionally taken. Mr. Mudie has recorded one of 

 sixty pounds. In a note to the history of the Salmon in 

 several editions of Walton, one is mentioned that weighed 

 seventy pounds ; Pennant has noticed one of seventy-four 

 pounds : the largest known, as far as I am aware, came into 

 the possession of Mr. Groves, the fishmonger of Bond-street, 

 about the season of 1821. This Salmon, a female, weighed 

 eighty-three pounds ; was a short fish for the weight, but of 

 very unusual thickness and depth. When cut up, the flesh 

 was fine in colour, and proved of excellent quality. 



