Miscellaneous Suggestions. 355 



and a half pounds sixteen months before ; for it is hardly 

 conceivable that any of the first lot should have attained 

 more than that weight between September 29th, 1882, 

 and June 1st, 1883 only seven months. 



It seems to me, on reflection, that we must have been 

 mistaken in the size of the largest fish we saw, though 

 we judged it at the moment to be twenty-four inches 

 long. If so, it must have weighed very closely upon 

 one side or the other of six pounds, and that seems ut- 

 terly incredible. Clearly the three fish of four pounds 

 which were taken could not all have been the original 

 two-and-a-half pounder, since they were three different 

 fish. Still assuming such to be the case, or assuming 

 every trout in the pond to have weighed two pounds 

 and a half on June 1, 1883, the least it seems possible 

 to allow is an increase of one and a half pounds in six- 

 teen months, a result sufficiently surprising. 



That fishing with the fly is not in greater favor as a 

 ladies' amusement is matter for regret. Where the use 

 of a boat is practicable, there is no earthly reason why 

 they should not derive the same mental, moral, and phys- 

 ical benefit from it as do men. It is a gentle pursuit, 

 and a cleanly, and affords an ample field for the exercise 

 of that manual delicacy and skill for which women are 

 pre-eminent ; while at the same time, unlike almost every 

 other out-of-door sport, no great muscular exertion is 

 required, nor over fatigue incurred. 



Whether the ladies really have their fair share of the 

 amusements of life may well be questioned ; while it is 

 beyond dispute that the directions in which custom now 

 permits them to seek recreation, are not, to say the least, 

 to their physical advantage. 



