WEEKS IN WORCESTERSHIRE 95 



was easy. Although the fish turned the scale at 

 13 oz., and was in prime condition, with the 

 famous cucumber odour when landed, yet it 

 showed no fight to speak of, which was strange 

 for an inhabitant of Worcestershire or Shropshire. 

 Happily, this grayling proved quite the exception, 

 for the others fought finely, as the autumn wore 

 on, and as the winter frosts invigorated their 

 condition. 



In Tenbury, the town in the orchard, as it 

 was royally described over eighty years ago, 

 anglers have regard for the grayling, and on the 

 table they esteem it highly, preferring it apparently 

 to trout. But last autumn the Teme was low ; 

 indeed, our friend the oldest inhabitant declared 

 that not since 1864 had the water been so thin. 

 Consequently, the grayling were not sporting 

 much, as those homely Devon and Somerset folk 

 say of their trout. Still, on most forenoons in 

 mid-autumn they rose to the natural fly for a 

 time, and again also an hour or so before sun- 

 down. For the most part, however, they dis- 

 regarded the chance of excess rations offered by 

 artificial flies, and continued to do so until 

 a thorough cleansing of the water occurred. 

 Broughton's fancy, pale watery dun, green insect, 

 red tag are good dry flies, but, although grayling 

 like low water, when it had been low so long 

 it was all against the angler. One conviction 

 which I gained on this trip was that, however 

 late you may strike your rising trout, you can 

 scarcely be too quick for grayling. The second 



