CHAPTER VII 



[Second 3Dag| 



VIAT. Come, Sir, having now well dined, and being again 

 set in your little house, I will now challenge your promise, 

 and entreat you to proceed in your instruction for fly- 

 fishing ; which that you may be the better encouraged to 

 do, I will assure you that I have not lost, I think, one 

 syllable of what you have told me ; but very well retain 

 all your directions, both for the rod, line, and making a 

 fly, and now desire an account of the flies themselves. 



Pise. Why, Sir, I am ready to give it you, and shall 

 have the whole afternoon to do it in, if nobody come in 

 to interrupt us ; for you must know (besides the un- 

 iitness of the day), that the afternoons, so early in March, 

 signify very little to angling with a fly, though with a 

 minnow, or a worm, something might (I confess) be done. 



To begin, then, where I left off, my father Walton tells 

 us of but twelve artificial flies only, to angle with at 

 the top, and gives their names ; of which some are common 

 with us here ; and I think I guess at most of them by his 

 description, and I believe they all breed and are taken 

 in our rivers, though we do not make them either of the 

 same dubbing or fashion. And it may be in the rivers 

 about London, which I presume he has most frequented, 

 and where it is likely he has done most execution, there 

 is not much notice taken of many more : but we are 

 acquainted with several others here, though perhaps 

 I may reckon some of his by other names too ; but if 

 I do, I shall make you amends by an addition to his 

 catalogue. And although the forenamed great master in 



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