8o 



I put on a cast of trout flies, dressed as follows : The 

 end fly was dressed on a No. 6 hook ; body, orange floss 

 silk; a black hackle at shoulder; wings from a brown 

 mallard feather ; a gold tag and three strands of golden 

 pheasant tippet feather for tails ; middle dropper, a grouse 

 hackle ; third fly, a black hackle, with blue floss silk body, 

 a gold tag, and a wing from under covert feather of the 

 jay's wing. I got a few very fine trout with this cast, 

 working hard till dark. The next day Pat persuaded us 

 to try spinning, and recommended a piece of an eel for 

 a bait. We succeeded in killing several fine trout. I 

 tried one of my artificial baits, but without success. 



We spent a very pleasant week, but did not get a rise 

 with the salmon. We met with an angler, a captain in the 

 army, and he, being stationed at the barracks, gave us an 

 order to visit that place, which was a great treat, especially 

 the playing of the band. 



From Athlone we went to Mullingar, to try the West 

 Mead Loughs. We put up at the head hotel, which we 

 found miserably dirty, especially the beds. From what 

 we saw we decided to pass the night in our chairs. My 

 friend was a good hand at making punch and playing on 

 the flute, and I joined him with some of old Izaak 

 Walton's songs, and so we passed the night. In the 

 morning we sent for the best fisherman in the town, Pat 

 Arkell by name, who observed that I had an excellent 

 assortment of flies, but no green drakes. I told him they 

 must be over, as they came in May. He informed me 

 they rose three times in the year on the loughs, and, taking 

 off his cap, he shewed me several live drakes which he 



