A LADY'S ROD. 69 



long hoops of iron. The butt was a " fayre staffe 

 of a fadom and a halfe longe, and arme grete " 

 that is, the size of one's arm ; " the whole making 

 a weight," remarks Fitzgibbon, " far too ponderous 

 for the muscles of us modern males; and Miss 

 Juliana herself must have been a lady of powerful 

 e thews and sinews/ not very much macerated by 

 prayer and fasting, prioress of a nunnery though 

 she was." 



The fewer pieces a rod consists of the better 

 for use; though for convenience, particularly if 

 the angler be in the habit of travelling, the remark 

 is not so generally applicable. Under any cir- 

 cumstances, however, we do not advise more than 

 four joints, and consider three to be preferable, on 

 account of the rod composed of them handling 

 lighter and better, and being less liable to de- 

 rangement in its fewer ferrules. As to the mode 

 of connecting the joints, we deem the common 

 plan much better than that of screw ferrules, 

 which are heavy and apt to get out of repair ; but 

 care should be taken to ascertain that the ferrules 

 are nicely made, that they are fastened firmly, 

 and fit true and deep. The use of screw ferrules 

 is almost confined to Irish rods, which are gene- 

 rally beautifully made, but on very different prin- 

 ciples from what we consider the best. They are 

 F 3 



