THE ANGLERS GREETING. 137 



take the fly. They are tender in the mouth and re- 

 quire care in handling. They afford good sport in 

 streams where they are abundant, and are often killed 

 weighing from one and a-half to two pounds. 



My angling friend had come well prepared with let- 

 ters introducing him to the owners of the fine trout 

 streams, and readily obtained permission to fish these 

 preserved waters. It was rare sport to watch him 

 daintily lay out his line across the stream, his stretcher 

 a June fly, or at times a floating May-fly skittered 

 across the surface until close to the farther bank. Here 

 lay a big Salmo fario. We had been watching him 

 lazily coming to the surface to suck in a fly or bug that 

 had tumbled from the trees overhead. A big cock- 

 chafer came spinning and buzzing down stream. All 

 laziness gone in an instant, up came the Salmo showing 

 his huge sides. A fierce lunge and a heavy splash and 

 the 'chafer was gone into the cavern of the open 

 mouth. The fly-book was out in an instant. A dark 

 brown fly somewhat resembling the 'chafer replaced 

 the stretcher. A careful cast a little up stream, a 

 lunge and a miss from the trout. Another cast close 

 in to the bank, a slight jerk and the fly assumed the 

 appearance of the buzzing 'chafer ; the same sharp 

 dash, the hand was as quick as the trout this time, 

 the hook was driven home and the fun began. Such 

 a dashing, splurging, rushing I had never seen. He 

 was determined to use every art known to trout-lore 

 before he surrendered. The rod bent and sprung, the 



