in the nets, and so great local influence attaches to their owners, that bribery and intimidation can hardly be unknown. The Norwegian is, in small things, a very honest man. There seems, in the country at least, to be no petty thieving, and we get into the habit of leaving our possessions about in very careless fashion. But in matters of business he is very slim," and the capture, in unlawful hours, of salmon which do not belong to any one in particular, will hardly appear to him a dishonest act. The opinion of his fellows will be for, rather than against, him; at least, so I judge from the general tone of references to the subject. 66 Perhaps it may come to be considered worth while for a combination of owners and lessees of river fisheries to maintain an independent staff of inspectors, provided with steam launches, and to undertake prosecutions. If the Anglo-Norwegian Fishermen's Association wishes to justify its existence, it might give its attention to the matter. I understand that the authorities raise no objection to such private inspection; that, indeed, they are will ing to invest the inspectors with a badge of office. Bad as things are now, there is worse to come. The net-owners are agitating for further advantages, and it is believed that they will obtain either an abbreviated close-time, or a reduction in the legal size of the mesh. The latter would be fatal to a large proportion of the grilse which now reach the rivers, and, as I have already pointed out, would be a foolish and disastrous change. No wonder there are not wanting pessimists to declare that the days of Norwegian fishing are numbered, and that a grant to the netowners of either of the above-mentioned concessions will be the final blow. In bad seasons this gloomy forecast holds the field; in good, it is forgotten. And as long as there are any salmon left to fish for, the charm of Norway will draw anglers. Our fish, fresh from the bracing Arctic Seas, are the gamest and most vigorous of their kind. We enjoy the delights of spring-fishing, without suffering the rigours of a British spring. We pursue our sport in the height of summer, beneath the clear sky |