10 



flsh of tte Salmon species ; tho' the principal cause of the 

 destruction of this river, has arisen from the Mundick 

 water, or the drainage from the mines within the district. 



The following graphic account of a iishing excursion 

 to the favorite river of my boyish days, will not prove un- 

 interesting. It is so life-like, that I cannot refrain from 

 giving the reader the pleasure of the scene : — 



" Once at the water's edge, the young man's tackle was 

 speedily ttiade ready, and in a few minutes his long line 

 went whistling thro' the air, as he wielded his powerful 

 rod, as easy^s if it had been a stripling's reed, and the 

 large peacock-fly alighted on the wheeling eddies, as gently 

 as tho' it had settled from a too long flight. . Delicately, 

 deftly, it was made to skim and dance the clear brown 

 surface, untill it had crossed the pool, and reached the 

 hither bank ; then again, obedient to the pliant wrist, it 

 rose on glittering wing coiled half around the angler's 

 head, and sent straight as a wild bee's flight, into a little 

 mimic whirlpool, scarce larger than the hat of the skilful 

 fisherman, which spun round and round, just to the leeward 

 of a grey ledge of limestone. The gay deceit had vanish- 

 ed, the swirl of the surface, indicated a fish had risen, and 

 the forked tail shewed the monarch of the stream ; the turn 

 of wrist fixed the barbed hook, and taught the scaly 

 victim the nature of the prey he had gorged : shewing his 

 silvery sides, and with a bound, on his broad back he 

 strikes the water, but not as he meant, the tightened line ; 

 for, as he leaped, the practiced hand lowered the rod's tip, 

 that it fell in a loose bight below him. Again ! again ! 

 again ! and yet a fourth time, he bounded in mid air with 

 desperate dashes, like an unbroken steed that wouM dis- 



