" TROUT TICKLING " 31 1 



Or what is there about ancient mines of lead and coal 

 to interest him ? He takes as little stock in them — 

 with all his fondness for Wall Street " flyers " — as he 

 does in the moon's mines of green cheese. No ; the 

 River Wear must boast of something else if it would 

 rouse his love for romance and keep his interest 

 awake. Well, it does boast of something else, and 

 something that will surely do both — it is a favorite 

 resort for the speckled trout and salmon. 



In England these fish are protected by the rigorous 

 enforcement of the poaching laws, and woe betide the 

 man who dares to cast a line within the sacred waters. 

 Hence it is that the poacher trusts to his dexterity in 

 " tickling " the fish, rather than attempting to capture 

 them with rod and line, and run the risk of getting 

 the hook of the law in his own gills. And the poach- 

 er's dexterity is rather marvelous. I met one of these 

 old fellows — their stories are pretty much alike — who 

 assured me that never in his life had he caught a trout 

 or a salmon with rod and line ; but he had " tickled " 

 many a one into his pocket. 



And this is how the " tickling " is done. The fish 

 are watched working their way up the shallows and 

 rapids. When they come to the shelter of a ledge or 

 a rock it is their nature to slide under it and rest. 

 The poacher sees the edge of a fin or the moving of a 

 tail, or maybe he sees neither ; instinct, however, tells 

 him a fish ought to be there, so he takes to the water 



