230 AN ANGLER'S SEASON 



almost as well set out to catch capercailzie 

 by putting salt on their tails as hope 

 to catch a salmon above Grantully this 

 month. The fish that pass Grantully do 

 not pause very often or very long until 

 they are in Loch Tay, or in the tributaries 

 thereof, or in the Lyon ; and fish that are 

 running are not to be successfully tempted 

 by any lure. Thus it seemed that the 

 close of September was to be the end of 

 the season. 



Just before the middle of October, how- 

 ever, there came an interesting letter with 

 the morning tea-tray. It was an invita- 

 tion to fish on the Earn. It came from a 

 man whom I did not know. He explained 

 that he sent it at the suggestion of a 

 London friend-in-common. He had, he 

 said, a very good stretch of the river ; 

 but, though the fish were many, he was 

 not succeeding very much. Would I 

 come to show him how to do better ? 



Of course I would ! I am far from 

 being as crafty a hand at salmon-fishing 

 as 1 hope to become ; but, except amid 



