28 Scotch Loch-Fishing. 



men with whom it is a pleasure to be out all 

 day, and whose company, in its own way, is 

 most enjoyable. Keen sportsmen these are, 

 and the capture or loss of a fish is a source of 

 true pleasure or pain. Other men one comes 

 across seem but to row the boat, and nothing 

 more ; and an unproductive day in such com- 

 pany is something to be looked back upon with 

 horror. The leading qualification of a boatman 

 of the right sort is a strong sympathy with the 

 angler, which enables him almost instinctively 

 to help the angler to cover every inch of likely 

 water with his flies, and makes him experience 

 the sensation of expecting a rise every cast ; in 

 other words, he almost puts the fly into the 

 fish's mouth. With such a man, instructions 

 regarding the management of the boat are 

 superfluous ; but as it often happens that you 

 do not get a first-rate hand, you have to take 

 matters into your own hands to some extent ; 

 and we shall give you a few hints as to what 

 is best to be done under such circumstances. 

 It is hardly to be supposed that your man is 

 in ignorance of the best ground, either from 

 experience or hearsay, and it is only after you 

 get there that our instructions can possibly 



