DOVE DALE REVISITED 151 



It is to such holidays as these that I owe the 

 elasticity of spirit and vigour of bodily health 

 which they have always renewed in me. I have 

 not dared to intermingle my light sketches with 

 moral reflections, because I know that I could not 

 have made them interesting to my readers. I 

 hope, however, I am not devoid of a true spirit 

 of gratitude and thankfulness to the Giver of all 

 good gifts for the measure of good health and 

 other blessings which have accompanied me all 

 the days of my life. 



I have avoided any attempt to teach my 

 brother anglers how to angle ; I have entered 

 into no discussion as to the breeding of trout or 

 grayling, or as to their times and places for 

 spawning ; I have no physiological or mysterious 

 theories as to close times or open times I only 

 know that it would have vastly added to my 

 enjoyment if I had been fishing in Dove Dale 

 at a time when both trout and grayling were 

 takable. I am aware that the Trent Con- 

 servancy Board, who are supposed to conserve 

 the main river and its tributaries, are, or ought 

 to be, very strict in their enforcement of the 

 law as to the close time for trout from and 

 after October 2nd ; but my own experience, 



