UNL UCKY DA YS IN WALES. 2 2 9 



any immediately overshadowing the valley lifted their brows, 

 wrinkling with fantastic rapidity as the sunbeams smote the 

 frost and thawed the whiteness. Nearer at hand we had in- 

 cipient furze blossoms and hedges heavy with glittering 

 hoar. 



The keeper was waiting for his young master, with a 

 question in his eye which it was unnecessary to trans- 

 late into words. " Oh yes, we'll try certainly, as we have 

 come so far," answered the captain, divining his thoughts, 

 " but there is not the ghost of a chance." 



" 'Deed there's not, sir," replied the man. 



Cheering ourselves thus we made ready in the fishing 

 lodge and walked across the meadow armed cap-ci-pie ; flies 

 a March brown, blue dun, and February red. There 

 are not many streams in the three kingdoms that will repay 

 for whipping in the second month of the year, but the Usk, 

 and other smaller rivers in that part of South Wales, are 

 fairly and legally open to the rod at the beginning of 

 February. Excellent sport is sometimes had on warm days 

 as the month draws on ; March and April are indeed ac- 

 counted the best months in the year. The Mayfly brings 

 no harvest to the Usk as to other trout streams, the stock 

 flies throughout the early months of the summer being the 

 March brown, blue dun, and coch-a-bondhu, with slight 

 variations of shape and size according to the altered condi- 

 tions of the water. 



The Usk at the portion we attempted is sparkling and 

 lively, but plays no unseemly antics, as it flows along its 

 level bed, meandering freely around oft-recurring bends, and 

 seemingly proud that the mountains standing sentinel over 

 it must in honesty place it in a different category from those 



