CONTRARIES OF WEATHER AND SPORT 201 



my friend Wright, of Annan, and resolved to fulfil 

 my promise of giving them a trial without further 

 delay. The name of the fly of my first choice is, I 

 believe, the Border Fancy ; the brown turkey wing 

 showed well in the water, and the irregular mingling of 

 lemon, red, and black of the pig's wool, relieved by a 

 band of silver twist, made altogether a very attractive 

 lure. The boat was crossing diagonally to our course, 

 and I was leisurely getting out line, when a trout plucked 

 at the fly. I saw him, as it were, knocked aside rudely, 

 and shall always believe that it was intentionally done 

 by the grilse, which immediately fastened to the fly, 

 and was duly netted on shore. Within twenty minutes 

 the same fly rose and landed me a salmon. I re- 

 christened this fly the Wullie, and determined after 

 that evening's work was done to preserve it for copy- 

 ing. King log, however, interfered with my well- 

 meant intentions. A stick of pine by and by feloniously 

 shot round a corner of rock unawares, and ere I could 

 recover the cast the fly was embedded in the butt of it, 

 and there was a quick smash. In what remote part of 

 the earth will the Wullie be next found or will it 

 become the adornment of a permanent waterlog with- 

 out leaving the river of its birthplace ? 



The fish which I have caught to this date, fishing 

 about twenty hours during the whole week (including 

 Sunday night, when, after my sea journey and long 

 carriage drive from Christiansand, I went out at eight 

 o'clock, caught seven trout, and afterwards read a 

 chapter of Shandon Bells under an apple-tree at half- 

 past ten at night in good daylight) have been curiously 

 uniform in weights. The salmon were io| lb., loj lb., 

 and 10 lb. ; the grilse 3| lb., 3^ lb., 3 lb., 3| lb., and 

 3 lb. 



As a contrast to these hot days, let us arrive at the 



