SALMON ANGLING IN IRELAND. 71 



order. Some day, when there is nothing else to be done, we will 

 show how easy it is to jnake one. Something may be learned from 

 all this detail. Single lines made as above described are stronger 

 than any others the goodness of the gut being equal and are 

 quite as neat in the water. In the ordinary method knots mean 

 weakness ; here the strength is uniform. This mode may be 

 common, but, to the best of my belief, I never saw a line of this 

 kind except on my own rod. The finer the gut, the more necessary 

 to employ every aid to give it strength. By following this course 

 many a fine fish is secured which would otherwise be lost. There is 

 no law in operation to make it penal for a salmon to take even 

 the smallest trout fly; last season I landed one of 17^1b. on an 

 O'Shaughnessy one size above the smallest, the casting line being 

 the finest gut procurable. In the case of the trebles we have 

 endeavoured to show they can be made without a machine. The 

 less unnecessary baggage a tourist has to carry the better. He must 

 take his fingers with him, and may as well make them useful, 



The third morning after our arrival the quiet of the cottage was 

 rudely dispelled ; cups and saucers clinked up and down the stairs ; 

 the poker in the little breakfast room had an insane desire to make 

 war on the coals ; there was whispering, and the sound of feet. I 

 wanted to sleep. I could only turn from side to side and groan in 

 despair. This did not suit the conspirators. "Hui-ry, Mary, wid 

 the tea ; the master will be raging mad this minit if he hasn't his 

 wather." Here the hall door swung open ; I knew the keen 

 whistling blast right well. " By Jove, the wind is north, and lots 

 of it." You may believe breakfast that morning was a short cere- 

 mony ; in less than half an hour we were tearing along the road for 

 the Bridge Pool. This wind is the best that can blow for the Bush ; 

 the long broad sheet of water, from the old bridge to the Carry, was 

 sparkling with ten thousand crisping wavelets. In less than a 

 quarter of an hour after our anival a beautiful ten-pounder lay 

 crimped on the grass ; another soon followed, and near the bottom 

 of the pool a third came to hand. " Change the fly, Willis ; we 

 will try it again." This time, however, we did nothing ; more 



