CH. I.] TOP-RING LINE. 7 



infallibly do sometimes. For that at the end of the 

 rod I think there is nothing so good as a hollow- 

 edged ring, of brass or German-silver, enclosed 

 in strong brass wire, as shewn in Fig. 2 : the 

 principal advantage of this plan is, 

 that as the ring can be turned round 

 in the wire, there is no fear of the 

 line wearing a furrow in it, as will 

 be found to be the case after a time, 

 when it is a fixture. Some time ago 

 I mentioned this kind of ring to a 

 London fishing-tackle maker, when 

 he said he thought he could get the 

 thing nicely done in agate. Rather fancying the 

 material, from the idea that the line would run 

 pleasantly through it, I requested him to have 

 one made for me as a sample. He accordingly did 

 so, when, on inquiring the price, which I ought 

 to have done before, I found it was five shillings ! 

 Those of German-silver cost about sixpence a-piece. 

 It is extremely difficult to get a really good 

 spinning-line for Trout; yet at the same time 

 nothing is more essential to the comfort and the 

 success of the fisherman. The three things which 

 constitute a good line are fineness, softness, and 

 absence of any disposition to "kink." 



