136 A DAY ON 



But somehow or other, in spite of the appearance of all 

 these things, it was hard to believe that November had 

 really come ; for day by day, instead of fog and mist, the 

 weather was fine and open, reminding one of September 

 and October (or rather say what those months ought to 

 have b$en), until at last I could stay in town no longer ; 

 therefore packed up my fishing paraphernalia and made 

 tracks northward to have a turn at the grayling. 



Now to those of my readers who are not initiated in the 

 mystery of angling, I suppose I had better explain before 

 proceeding further, what a grayling is. I will attempt 

 therefore to do so. It is a fish highly esteemed, both for 

 yielding excellent sport to the angler, and for its edible 

 qualities ; but, unlike the generality of the finny tribe, it 

 is only to be met with in some of our English streams, 

 the most noted being the Rye, the Wharfe, and the Yore, 

 in Yorkshire ; the Derwent, the Wye, and the Dove, in 

 Derbyshire ; the Severn, the Teme, and the Lugg, in the 

 Worcester district ; and the Itchin and the Test in Hamp- 

 shire. On some of these rivers, especially the two last- 

 named, they attain to a fair size, viz., 2 and 31bs. weight, 

 but on the Yore and the Wharfe a pound grayling is looked 

 upon as being a good fish ; while one of l^lbs. is regarded 

 as a monster. It is supposed that the monks of old brought 

 them over to England from the continent, and as the streams 

 containing them are usually found to have the ruins of a 

 monastery situated upon their banks, the hypothesis seems 

 a probable one. In appearance they are a slender, sym- 

 metrical fish, covered with bright, silvery scales, having a 

 sheen of green and purple hues upon them when freshly 

 caught, and the smell of them is exactly similar to that of 

 a cucumber ; an eminent writer on angling matters has 

 described the trout as being the gentleman of the streams, 

 and the grayling as the lady. I consider the comparison a 

 very apt one. Grayling come into season with the autumn 



