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miles long- by niue miles wide. As lougli Neagh receives 

 the water of half-a-dozen different rivers, and only has one 

 outlet (the iJaun) you will understand that my present 

 fishing ground deserves to rank amongst the chief rivers of 

 the United Kingdom. This being so, it carries, as befits 

 its importance, big iish, and many of these big fellows put 

 oif their annual visits to fresh water until the floods enable 

 them to get over the weirs without difficulty. Having 

 thus cleared the ground, let me proceed to tell you that 

 last week's raging Hood brought uj) the autumn run of fish, 

 and it only remained for us anglers to possess our souls 

 with patience until the water settled down into fishing 

 order. How anxiously we watched the gradual changes 

 from the consistency of double stout to that of single 

 porter; and how regularly we consulted the water-gauges 

 to note the gradual decrease in the flood. On Monday the 

 local oracles declared that "she" was fishable — that there 

 was just a chance. Why rivers are always spoken of as 

 belonging to the feminine gender by fishermen has always 

 puzzled me, and the only explanation which suggests itself 

 to my mind, is that trivial causes serve to upset rivers, and 

 that gentle treatment is the only method to woo them back 

 to smiles and dimples. Well, well, I am at a safe distance 

 from home, and that paragraph can therefore stand. As 

 I mentioned just now, Monday was said to afford a chance, 

 and although there was a decided tinge of porter in the 

 stream, my boy Mike said he had known "Three big 

 bastes " Idlled in an hour, at a certain spot, close handy, 

 under precisely similar conditions to these. But the worst 

 of Mike is, that he always does remember something which 

 he lielieves will please you. Thus, on our way to the boat, 

 I pick out what I think is a likely fly to kill on such a 

 day as this, and Mike at once declares that he now " dis- 

 rememers " that this was the very pattern on which the 

 aforesaid three fish were Idlled in the " dirthy watter." It 

 is unnecessary, perhaps, to add that we never moved a fish 

 at the cast relied upon by Mike ; but it is only fair to him 

 to say that as we were tramping home tired, dispirited and 

 dejected, late in the afternoon, he clutched me by the sleeve 



