THE EIW OF THE SEASOX. 121 



fisli came up and seized the fly clean off the surface, 

 more after the manner in which a duck takes a piece 

 of bread. 



He had probably seen the fly the previous cast and 

 was ready waiting for the next. When he felt the hook 

 he turned up, showing himself to be rather discoloured, 

 having likely enough been in the water a few weeks — 

 although there is no certainty about this, as we have 

 frequently observed discoloured fish right in the estuary 

 at the back end of the season. He made good use of 

 his Aveight and spun the line out several times, but not 

 M'ith the same grand rushes of the first fish, nor did he 

 show the same resource in his attempts to get away. 

 He gave us a good half-hour^s sport, and eventually 

 turned the scale at 25 lb. 



After this we walked up to another pool, and in a 

 few casts hooked our third fish, another clean-run one ; 

 but we were not so fortunate with him, as after showing 

 himself a few times he would do nothing but shake his 

 head and jag at the line, giving us the idea that he was 

 lightly hooked; and such was probably the case, as 

 although Ave handled him tenderly for a quarter of an 

 hour, in giving a half-turn over the hook came away, 

 not very much to our surprise, and the line came back 

 to us in that elegant curve so well known to most 

 anglers, telling us that our acquaintance was severed, 

 at all events for the present. The fly was on and the 

 point of the hook as keen as when new. 



By this time it was half-past four and getting dark. 



