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taken away once or twice, and are sold to be eaten
in the same manner that plovers’ eggs are with us.
We understood that there is a penalty of half a
dollar for shooting one of these birds ; nor is this
all, as the delinquent is also made to forfeit his
gun.
As t h e d i s t a n c e f r o m t h e m o u t h o f t h e r i v e r t o
t h e f a l l s A v a s o n l y a m i l e o r t h e r e a b o u t s , Av e A v e r e
n o t l o n g i n r e a c h i n g t h e s p o t . At a l i t t l e w a y
b e l o A v t h e f a l l s a k i n d o f w e i r w a s t h r o A v n a c r o s s t h e
r i v e r , o r r a t h e r a c a u s e w a y o f s t o n e s , i n w h i c h w e r e
fixed tAA'o o r t h r e e A A ' o o d e n b o x e s , w i t h o p e n i n g s s u f f
i c i e n t t o l e t t h e f i s h p a s s t h r o u g h i n g o i n g u p ; a n d
b e i n g n a r r o A v e d a t t h e o t h e r e n d , a n d h a v i n g p o i n t e d
s p i k e s , i n t h e m a n n e r of a m o u s e - t r a p , t h e s a l m o n ,
A v h e n o n c e t h r o u g h , c o u l d n o t b y a n y p o s s i b i l i t y g e t
b a c k a g a i n , b u t A v e r e l e f t s A v i m m i n g a b o u t i n t h e p o o l
f o r m e d b e t w e e n t h i s d a m a n d t h e f o o t o f t h e f a l l s ;
a n d t h o u g h t h e s e c o u l d n o t b e m o r e t h a n t e n o r
t w e l v e f e e t i n h e i g h t , A v h i c h i s n o t h i n g f o r a s a l m o n -
l e a p , y e t b e i n g a b r o k e n c a t a r a c t , w h o s e w a t e r s
b o u n d e d a m o n g r u g g e d a n d p o i n t e d r o c k s o f l a v a ,
I s h o u l d a p p r e h e n d i t w a s i m p o s s i b l e f o r a f i s h t o
s u c c e e d i n s u r m o u n t i n g i t .
In this pool Ave could see the salmon swimming
about in shoals. Here, of course, they are easily
taken either by turning off the water, or by a n e t;
and AA'e Avere told that about this season of the year
four or five hundred are caught Aveekly, and generally
by the latter process. The fishery belongs to
the CroAvn, and the rent paid for the privilege of
the exclusive right of taking the fish forms a small
branch of the public revenue.
Our two anglers plied their lines close under the
falls, and also below the ripple occasioned by the
causeway, but all in vain ; the fish would not take.
In vain did they try to tempt them Avith every
variety of the beautiful flies Avhich they had with
so much care manufactured on the voyage out, calculating
at least on tAvo salmon for every specimen.
The trout, hoAvevc!-, Avere not quite so dainty : several
of these Avere hooked and brought to land, which
was some small consolation for the disappointment
Avhich the larger fry had occasioned. An angler
is proverbially a patient and enduring creature,
hut our tAvo disciples of Izaak Walton, more p articularly
one of them, exhibited signs of impatience
that could not be mistaken, and set down Iceland
salmon as a set of stupid and unnatural fish, for
having the bad taste not to rise at such orthodox
flies, so eminently calculated to delude their appetites.
As Mr. Broder Knudtzon and myself were spectators
only of the sport, or rather want of sport, avc too
grew impatient, and, leaving our companions to the
enjoyment of it, set out, Avith a little hoy for our
guide, across the country betAveen the fishery and
Reikiavik, intending to make a short détour in order
to visit some boiling springs half way betAveen the
fishery and the toAvn. There was no road across this
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