TIPS. 45 



I read the book I begnn liy gcttiiiL:; tlirce limes as many fisli as 

 before." 



Let it be said here, tlial the author of "The .Salmon Fl}- " lias 

 always regarded himself as a student — he will over remain one. In 

 writing of his exploits, if he has given way to an irresistible under- 

 current of effort and desire to carry the angler's mind above and 

 beyond the i)()|)ular practice f)f ensnaring salmon by hook or crook, 

 it is solely for the purpf)se of raising the sport to the highest branches 

 of the art of fl}--fishing. What he has written is to say this and this 

 has he learnt, thus and tins has he learnt it on the spot. All honest 

 criticism based on actual experience will be welcome to him ; and the 

 more he has of it, and the sliar|5cr it is, the better in the end. Hut 

 is it not a very unnecessarily strong statement for Mr. Baden-Powell 

 to stigmatise as " rubbish " the results of diligent and systematic 

 investigation upon all kinds of salmon rivers, in all kinds of weather 

 under all sorts of conditions, with all kinds of flies? 



In matters of this description, the plain answer is the same as 

 that given in the well-known logical fallacy of Achilles and the 

 Tortoise — Solvitiir anil'ii/iiin/o, i.e., the problem is solved by 

 practically working it out. 



If individual workers have with infinite labour at the w.iterside 

 been accunudating fact.s which indicate the direct wa\- to " titivate " 

 flies in a manner absolutely reconcilable with the peculiarities of a 

 river — flies far and away more killing than an\- ordinary pattern — it 

 appears (i) as though further argument were unnecessary; (2) as 

 though every requisite of both theory and practice were satisfied ; 

 and (3) as though the iiroblem in c]uesti<.n were removed from the 

 category of unexplained m\-steries. 



