16 ANGLING THAT " PREACHETH PATIENCE" 



The Major and the Professor played the deuce 

 with the trout in the May Fly time, when, alas ! I 

 was not here. Now, I fancy what few they left are 

 very shy ; at all events, I did not see a single rise, 

 and the Red Tag does not attract them as it does 

 the grayling. 



Saturday, June 25. A boisterous morning, worse 

 than yesterday ; torrents of rain, intermittent sun- 

 shine, strong westerly wind. I went down to the 

 river ; water covered with floating islands of weeds. 

 I was not a bit down-hearted. I got what enjoy- 

 ment I could out of winds and weeds, and an 

 occasional shower. My young gillie found infinite 

 amusement in shooting in the air at the swallows 

 a small white seed, which he called darry (and 

 was careful to tell me how to spell it), out of a 

 hollow hemlock stem, not for the purpose of hitting 

 them, but to watch them darting after the seed 

 and enjoying the fun. Then he told me he had 

 seen a bird the other day that he had never seen 

 before all his life. It had a yellow head and 

 perfectly white wings and body ; it had a grub in 

 its mouth, and he searched diligently in the hedge- 

 row, but could not find its nest. I suggested that 

 he must have mistaken it for a yellow-hammer, 

 but he spurned the idea, as if he did not know a 

 yellow-hammer. 



Then he became enthusiastic about a circus 

 the biggest circus that ever was seen. It is coming 

 on Monday, and costs sixpence entrance ; but he 

 can get in for threepence. He had seen the pictures 



