ANGLING FOR TROUT. 63 



ye goe." Such rods, fitted to put up as walking sticks, 

 are now common enough, but are generally too small 

 for river angling; and those which are made to put up 

 in a bag, are in too many pieces to bend well. 



The best rods, according to Bainbridge, are made of 

 ash for the bottom piece, hickory for the middle, and 

 lance- wood for the top-joints. If real bamboo can be 

 procured of good quality, it is preferable to lance- wood. 

 Rose- wood and partridge-wood, from the Brazils, may 

 also be used for the top-pieces. The extreme length of 

 the top-piece is usually composed of a few inches of 

 whalebone. The rings for the reel line may be made 

 by twisting a piece of soft brass-wire round a tobacco- 

 pipe, and soldering the ends together. They ought to 

 diminish in size as they are made to approach the top, 

 and must form a straight and regular line with each 

 other, when the rod is put up for use. 



As the top of the rod is apt to be broken by acci- 

 dent, many anglers carry with them a spare top; but 

 if this is not done, a broken rod may be spliced by 

 cutting the two broken ends with a long slope so as to 

 make them fit neatly together, spreading some shoe- 

 makers' wax ! very thin on each of the cut surfaces, and 

 binding them firmly with waxed thread. To fasten 

 off, lay the fore-finger of your left hand over the bind- 

 ing, and with your right make four turns of the thread 

 over it; then pass the end of your thread between the 

 under side of your finger and the rod, and draw your 

 finger away ; lastly, with the fore-finger and thumb of 



(1) Provincially, Roxet. 



