SALMONIA. 



great sport I had in that river was in 1817, 

 in the beginning of April. I caught, in two 

 or three hours, at Merton, above four or 

 five large salmon, and as many in the evening 

 at Kelso and one of them 251bs. But this 

 kind of fishing cannot be compared to the 

 summer fishing: the fish play with much 

 less energy, and in general are in bad season ; 

 and the fly used for fishing is almost like a 

 bird four or five times larger than the 

 summer fly, and the coarsest tackle may be 

 employed. I have heard that Lord Home 

 has sometimes taken thirty fish in a day, in 

 spring fishing. About, and above, Melrose, 

 I have taken, in a morning in July, two or 

 three grilses; and in September the same 

 number : and I have known eighteen taken 

 earlier, by an excellent salmon fisher, at 

 Merton; and the late Lord Somerville often 

 took six or seven fish in a day's angling. 

 The same, " fmt" I must apply to most of 

 the Scotch rivers. Of the Tay I have 

 already spoken. The Dee I have never 

 caught salmon in, though I have fished in 

 two parts of it, but in bad seasons. In the 



