224 FISHES I HAVE KNOWN 



were at one time so accustomed to the bread 

 thrown out to them that they would hardly eat 

 anything else, and declined even to look at a fly, 

 natural or artificial ; while as to tameness, a lady 

 in Staffordshire had a large rainbow-trout which 

 would swim to the edge of his pool and take from 

 her fingers a worm or piece of meat, and come to 

 her every morning for his ration of bread. 



Some years ago, Frank Buckland, who loved 

 salmon as did King William the " tall red deer," 

 published a list of the monsters in his museum. 

 It was headed, if I remember rightly, by a giant 

 from the Tay, weighing 70 lbs. (presumably 

 netted), a weight which, I think, has never been 

 exceeded. 



In Scotland, fish of 40 lbs. and 50 lbs. weight are 

 caught every season, but the greatest rival to the 

 Tay 70-pounder was one of 61 lbs. (also from the 

 Tay) taken with rod and line — a British angler's 

 record. 



The West-end fishmonger's salmon averages 

 about 10 lbs., and I recollect seeing the Aberdeen 

 Corporation boat full up at the pier-head one 

 evening, laden with almost living fish from the 

 shore trammels. Of this cargo of silver nothing 

 was over 15 lbs. or under 5 lbs. in weight. 



The subject of salmon is an inexhaustible one. 



