ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING. 141 



continual inspection of 3'our eyes, which ought, 

 for this kind of angling, to be as sharp as the 

 basilisk's. 



It is a good yjlan to always carry some dub- 

 bing, gut, hooks, and silk, out with you in a 

 small pocket book, that you may be able always 

 to imitate any fly you see the fish rise at more 

 than others. 



The lighter your flies fall on the water the bet- 

 ter ; this you will not accomplish by strength, 

 but by practice, always raising your rod by 

 degrees, after you have made your cast. A 

 young angler should never use more than one 

 fly on the stretcher at first, but when he can 

 th?vw out pretty well, he may add to the stretcher 

 one or more droppers, observing always to let 

 them be one yard asunder. 



I shall now conclude these rules by giving the 

 reader a passage relating to artificial Jiij JisLingy 

 (with the alteration only of two or three monosyl- 

 lables) from the Spring of that elegant and natural 

 descriptive poet, M.x. Thomson, which cannot fail 

 of contributing as well to his amusement, a$ 

 instruction: 



Soon as the first foul torrent of the brooks, 

 Swell'd with the vernal rains, is ebb'd away, 

 And, whit'ning, down their mossy linctur'd stream 

 Descends the iTillowy foam, then is the time. 

 While yd the dark-brown water aids the guile. 

 To tempt the trout. The weli-dissembl'd tiy, 

 To rod tine tap'ring, with elastic spring, 

 Snatca'd from the hoary steed the floating line. 

 And all tiiy sloiider wat'ry stores prepare; 

 But let not on thy hook the lortur'd worm, 

 Convulsive t\Nist in agonizing folds, 

 Which, by rapacious hunger swallowed deep. 

 Gives, as you tear it from the bleeding breast 

 01 the weak helpless uncomplaining Nvretcb, 



