CHAP. IX.

Sporting Advantages of Brawl.-The River Thurso.-Its Excellence as a Salmon River.-Grilse.- Unpropitious Fishing Season. - Bull for sanctioning Fishing on Sunday. - Hunting Salmon. - Strength of Grilse. White Trout.. Ancient Salmon Feasts. - The Angler hooked.-Loch Watten.-A crazy Boat.- Excellence of the Watten Trout. Their Capriciousness.- Ornithology of Caithness.

Ir is one of the especial advantages of Brawl as a sporting residence, that when your dogs are used up, or you are tired of the moors, you can exchange the gun for the rod, as the river is at hand. At hand at your very door, rendering it quite possible to transfer a salmon from his pool to the pot in a few minutes.

For, as I have said, the Thurso is one of the best salmon and grilse rivers in the United Kingdom, as proof of which I may state that 307. per month per rod is demanded and freely given for the right of salmon fishing during the spring months, all fish caught to be given up excepting one each day, which the angler is at liberty to retain. The river seems made for fishing. Flowing through strata of the Caithness slate flagstones, it has gouged a channel for its waters, rarely broader

than can be conveniently fished from the banks with an ordinary salmon rod; and the pools, which are neither few nor far between, are in many instances provided with jutting flagstones, which, besides affording you excellent casting stands, enable you to humour the wildest and sulkiest salmon with great chances in favour of making him your prize. Although the fishing has greatly fallen off in consequence of inefficient legislation-of which, more presently-enormous hauls of salmon are still frequently made at the mouth of the river; one, last season after paying all expenses realised a net profit of 2007. And see what sport the river afforded last spring:-" Mr. D. B. Wauchope killed 74 clean salmon in twenty-one days' fishing, and his brother, Mr. Andrew Wauchope, in the same period, 50, the largest being twenty pounds; Mr. Muir, 60; Mr. Danby, 53; Mr. Ivory, 27; Mr. Blanshard, 31; Mr. Dunbar, 17; Mr. Burtley, 3;- making a total of no less than 315 clean salmon, all killed with the rod during the merry month of May. The season's sport from the 1st of February to June amounted to no less than six hundred and fifty-eight clean salmon killed by six rods."

The salmon fishing season, strictly speaking, does not of course extend to August, but in that month salmon are replaced by their active and vigorous eldest children, which under the name of grilse people the pools lately occupied by their parents. Precisely, therefore, in pro

portion to the abundance of salmon should be that of grilse, and we looked forward confidently to the achievement of great piscatorial deeds.

But it was fated otherwise; and had we not been certain that the Thurso is a good salmon river, our experience of it during the past summer would have led us to a very different conclusion.

Did you ever know a tourist or angler satisfied with the weather? Rarely, you will allow, and last year it is certain that anglers and tourists in Scotland were most sorely tried. For while there was frequent rain during August in the south of Scotland, we in the north during the whole of that month were favoured by but one slight shower, and consequently the Thurso and other rivers in Caithness and Sutherland were nearly dry.

The fine settled weather was the more provoking, because grilse were at the mouth of the Thurso, and were just as desirous to ascend the river as we were to have them for neighbours; but although salmon do contrive to wriggle up very shallow rivers in a wonderful manner, they are not quite so expert in land travelling as eels.

What sport we should have had if steady rain had fallen for some days, was made evident to us by the circumstance that the one slight shower to which I have alluded, though it only raised the Thurso a couple of inches, was immediately followed by a visitation of grilse

I captured one above the bridge pool, which by a mark was recognised as having been bred in the ponds near Thurso. It had been turned into the river during the preceding month of May, a tiny stripling, and now weighed within a couple of ounces of three pounds.

Well, but I fancy I hear the angler say, "Is there not at least one lusty salmon in the bridge-pool?" Aye, dear brother, and more than one; but so clear was the water and so cunning the fish, that our imaginary capture of said salmon was never realised, though we swished the pool at all hours and tried various dainty lures. Indeed, all the pools were tenanted by salmon; and, knowing this, be sure that we did our best to make their personal acquaintance; and though those in the bridge pool declined to be drawn out, others were more accommodating.

It was on a bright Sunday afternoon when we were strolling along the banks of the river, peering wistfully into the pools, that we first saw how abundantly they were tenanted by salmon. The time was when salmon fishing in Scotland on Sunday was not only tolerated, but licensed by the church. In 1451 Pope Nicolas V. issued a bull expressly sanctioning fishing for salmon in the Dee on Sundays; on the condition, however, that the first salmon taken each Sunday should be presented to the parish church. And further, the bull allowed all "the faithful" to net herrings on the Sabbath. But

this fishing on the Sunday seems to have been unpopular; for on the occasion of a great earthquake at Aberdeen in 1608, it was imagined that it arose from the wickedness of fishing on Sunday, and the salmon fishers were publicly rebuked.

One day favourable for fishing, though the water was still low, two of our party who had gone down the river created a great sensation by sending back a gilly with a 17 lb. salmon, and intelligence that set every rod at work in a few minutes. Presently another salmon was brought up, and shortly after a third. Lucky fellows! never had we known such sport. By what art were the silvery beauties persuaded to leave their water caves? Doubtless the right fly had at length been discovered. We rushed down the river side burning for information, meeting on our way a gilly with another heavy fish; but imagine our disappointment when we found that the salmon had been caught by no skilful angling, but by being hunted up and down the pools, until a welldirected stroke of the gaff terminated their career. You may consider this not very sportsmanlike; but let me tell you that hunting and gaffing a salmon in large deep pools is very exciting sport, requiring a keen eye and a quick hand.

Success would be almost impossible were it not that the salmon, like the ostrich, apparently considers himself safe provided he can thrust his head under a stone.