TROUT FISHING. 173 



foreign to my subject, by introducing that of fishing, 

 if I had not some example of exception as authority 

 to do so/ Isaac Walton appears to please every one ; 

 and this gives me a sort of license to consider that I 

 may now even go further on the subject. Before dis- 

 missing it, therefore, I may as well tell a gentleman's 

 cook how to dress a trout in my shooting book, as 

 he introduce a milkmaid's song in his fishing book, 

 particularly as eating is a more general concern than 

 singing ; and, above all, as there is not more than 

 one cook in a thousand that does not spoil every trout 

 in the dressing. 



If a trout is out of season, or in poor condition, it 

 would be needless to attempt dressing it in the ne 

 p/u* ultra way ; and, perhaps, the best simple recipe 

 might be to split it, and broil it, with an occasional 

 touch of cold butter. But when fresh caught, and 

 in high season, the way to dress it is thus : - 



Directly you have caught the trout, crimp it, with 

 about four cuts on each side, taking care to let the 

 Made of the knife be in a sloping direction, so as to 

 make every incision rather circular and parallel to 

 the gills ; instead of having the blade of the knife 

 perpendicular, by which you would cut too much 

 across the fleaks, and the fish would not be near so 

 firm. Then, if you have a pump at hand, let the 

 trout be pumped upon, as hard as possible, for about 

 ten minutes ; and if not, the laying it in cold spring 

 water will do nearly as well. Having done this, put 



