i o WA TERSIDE SKETCHES. 



trout, from the speed with which he darts round and across 

 the pool ; an artful trout, by his rush for the shallows ; a 

 beautiful trout, self-proclaimed in a succession of leaps into 

 the air, during which the sun lights up his ruby spots and 

 burnished vesture ; a princely trout, as you must admit, for 

 the keeper, who knows that the first fish of the season is 

 always an extra coin in his pocket, stands by with the 

 weighing machine, and announces him a few ounces short of 

 five pounds. He is a goodly fish, yet personally I hold him 

 in light respect, being convinced that nothing would ever 

 induce him to rise at a fly. We have been long familiar 

 with these lusty trout, with their haunts, their vices, their 

 virtues, their dispositions. Sometimes they take a clumsy 

 dead gorge bait, sometimes a live roach, or gudgeon, some- 

 times minnow or worm, but never a fly, artificial or real. 



This straight level run is a roach swim, famous amongst 

 us ; by these fast-springing flags three years ago a young 

 gentleman who had never seen the water before, and was 

 apparently a novice in the craft, in one afternoon caught a 

 great weight of roach, four individuals of which turned the 

 scale at eight pounds, several of which were over a pound, 

 and none of which were less than six ounces. Presently 

 we reach another weir, and soon a third, and in each our 

 gay young friend will before night seek a companion for the 

 beauty we assisted, a few minutes since, to smother in newly 

 cut rushes. 



We are now, let me whisper, making our way to a tribu- 

 tary streamlet, upon whose rippling surface the flies dangling 

 over my shoulder will receive their first baptism. The 

 brotherhood have various tastes, and agree to differ with 

 perfect good humour. Our friends at the backwater are 



