SCRAP. 183 



yet spoken of; and we have seen him fill a moderate 

 creel out of one long pool where almost no other 

 angler would have taken above half-a-dozen trouts ; 

 and at this time he considered himself past his best, 

 for he was an oldish man. He had a thorough 

 knowledge of the habitat of all the finny tribes in 

 the streams he fished ; and his feats were performed 

 with what would now be called very coarse tackle. 

 He was also the most successful Teviot salmon 

 angler in his day ; and he it was who found out the 

 minnow to be a bait for salmon. Early in the 

 present century (about 1805 or J 6), he was angling 

 one day in the Teviot for salmon, in company with 

 his father "Auld Rob," also a keen and clever 

 angler. The old man, after vainly plying his fly 

 for an hour or two, came to Jock, calling out as he 

 approached, " c'way, c'way, they're no gaun to take \ 

 let's hame j" but on seeing three or four fish lying 

 grassed, he immediately' ejaculated " lord ! how 

 gat ye thae, callant V Jock did not explain ; but 

 Kob, watching his " cast," cried out, " mercy, laddie, 

 yer flye fa's like a stane, what are ye fishing wi' *?" 

 The minnow was shown, and the twosome kept the 

 secret for a season or two, during which time they 

 killed a large number of fish. The fish taken by 

 the minnow were bull-trouts and salmon kelts, but 



