10 PRAIRIE AND FOREST. 



wand, unless you carry a bait rod. Hybrids, whether in 

 rod or gun, are to be carefully avoided. I remember being 

 once entrapped into using a hybrid gun, in the township 

 of Markham, Upper Canada. It was in this way : Going 

 through some brush I flushed a quantity of woodcock I 

 stated the circumstance when I returned to the farm-house 

 where I was residing. As I had no gun with me the host 

 offered me the use of his, which from his description was 

 worthy of a royal duke ; I therefore accepted the offer. 

 On production it proved to be half shot-gun, half rifle 

 that is, the right-hand barrel was smooth, the left rifled. 

 Tins was my first experience of such a weapon, and most 

 probably will be my last. The game was found, the cover 

 was close, and snap-shooting necessary. It was of no use. 

 The gun would not come up, or the game come down. The 

 fact was, that the shot-barrel was only half the weight of 

 the rifled, consequently the whole fabric was without 

 balance, and do what I would my aim was invariably 

 disconcerted. 



Of the joints used in fly-rods the plain sliding one is 



probably the most convenient. If properly fitted it should 



r jamb or work loose ; but if I lived on a river I should 



r make use of any other than the simple splice, for the 



lashing affects less tin- action of the spring; and if a few 



udditinnsil moments are lost in putting it together, the 



return is ample recompense. But I fear the age is too 



i option. 



Having -iven my opinions of what a rod should be, I 

 will now go to the reel, nf'lair years, at least since I was 

 a boy, all kinds of mechanical inventions and appliances 



