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thematical precision. His reel-line must pos- 

 sess the same qualities be light, strong, 

 tapering ; and his casting-line, or that to which 

 the flies are attached, and which is cast upon 

 the water, must be of the finest gut, scarcely 

 thicker than the threads the field-spider spins 

 from plant to plant. His hooks, and the 

 materials attached to them, in order to imitate 

 those delicate water-flies fish prey upon, must, 

 in many instances, present an object, hardly 

 more bulky than the little " worm pricked from 

 the lazy finger of a maid." It is this delicacy 

 of tackle that is the chief source of the 

 charming excitement felt by the fly-fisher. 

 Nothing depends upon brute force; every 

 thing is dependant on art, and on art, the exe- 

 cution of which requires the most consummate 

 delicacy. Throw your flies rudely, and, crack ! 

 they and your casting-line are gone, or else 

 you make a splash upon the water, that will 

 scare away the greediest fish in it ! Hook your 

 fish too roughly, and he will sail away with 

 your line, or fracture your rod; and, after you 

 have hooked him, play him with too rude a 

 hand, and you will either tear the hook from 

 out his flesh, or, with a lunge, he will scud 

 away with a portion of your " harness !" You 

 know all this you know the danger of any 

 violence on your part you know that victory 



