THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 141 



make the fly's head ; and there be also other col- 

 ored feathers, both of little birds and of speckled 

 fowl ; I say, having those with him in a bag, and 

 trying to make a fly, though he miss at first, yet 

 shall he at last hit it better, even to such a perfec- 

 tion as none can well teach him. And if he hit to 

 make his fly right, and have the luck to hit also 

 where there is store of trouts, a dark day, and a 

 right wind, he will catch such store of them as will 

 encourage him to grow more and more in love 

 with the art of fly-making. 1 



Ven. But, my loving master, if any wind will not 

 serve, then I wish I were in Lapland, to buy a 

 good wind of one of the honest witches that sell 

 so many winds there and so cheap. 



Pise. Marry, scholar, but I would not be there, 

 nor indeed from under this tree ; for look how it 

 begins to rain ! and by the clouds, if I mistake 

 not, we shall presently have a smoking shower ; 

 and therefore sit close, this sycamore-tree will 

 shelter us, and I will tell you as they shall come 

 into my mind more observations of fly-fishing for 

 a trout. 



But first for the wind. You are to take notice 

 that of the winds the south wind is said to be the 

 best. One observes that 



" When the wind is south, 

 It blows your bait into a fish's mouth." 

 1 Walton was no adept at fly-fishing, and therefore his direc- 

 tions should not be followed implicitly. Perhaps no better ad- 

 vice can be given to the fly-fisher than that he use the flies 

 common to the locality. 



