SALMON. 27 



Invermoriston, in the county of Inverness, where the river 

 flows in a narrow chasm between two projecting rocks. 

 The fisherman seats himself on a cleft of this rock, right 

 over the cascade, with a spear in his hand, which has a line 

 fixed to the upper end of the shaft, similar to the practice 

 of fishing for Whales with harpoons. Whenever the Salmon 

 makes a spring to gain the ascent over the cataract, the 

 spearman strikes the fish and lets the shaft go, holding only 

 by the line until the fish has exhausted his strength ; then 

 the spear and fish are thrown ashore by the stream, and taken 

 out at the lower side of the pool." 



The mode of fishing for Salmon in the Severn, and other 

 rivers of Wales, with coracles and nets, requires a short and 

 concluding notice. The coracle is a small boat constructed 

 with willow twigs in the manner of basket-work, or with 

 split slips of elastic wood, both the form and the material 

 varying in different counties. In the neighbourhood of 

 Shrewsbury, the framework is covered with canvass and 

 painted ; in Cardiganshire it is covered with flannel, and 

 afterwards with a coating of tar. The boat is something 

 less than six feet long, and about four feet wide, with a seat 

 across the middle. The form of the paddle with which this 

 little boat is impelled and guided along is also varied : 

 in the Severn, the blade is square, as represented in the 

 specimen lying on the ground in the vignette ; the more 

 elongated blade of the paddle in the hand of the fisherman 

 is the form in use on the Dee. The boat, which in appear- 

 ance is not unlike one half of a walnut-shell, is so light 

 and portable that the fisherman carries it to and from the 

 water on his back. These coracles,* so called, it is said, 

 from coruan, the hide of the beast with which they were 



* This word is sometimes written coriacle, and may be derived from coriago, 

 hide-bound. 



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