xiv PREFATORY 



their brethren of the craft, and so, trusting to 

 their leniency, I make my cast, and try them 

 with yet another fly in the shape of the present 

 volume ; not a very large one, it is true, but one 

 which I trust may be reckoned amongst the 

 standard patterns. 



Wherein lies the charm of fishing ? It is a 

 question I have often asked myself, and to which 

 I have never as yet been able to make a satis- 

 factory reply. It most certainly does not consist 

 solely in the killing of fish, for if fish were to be 

 caught all day and every day it would be want- 

 ing. I can only conclude that it must be the 

 difficulty and uncertainty of the sport which form 

 the attraction. 



Then again, a salmon-river or trout-stream is 

 nearly always situated in the midst of beautiful 

 scenery ; such streams as both fish frequent are 

 usually of a description which cannot fail to 

 charm deeps and shallows, rapids and flats 

 alternating with each other as the river flows 

 ever on over its gravelly or rocky bed. There 

 is, too, a feeling of such perfect rest and peace by 

 the riverside, to say nothing of the many objects 

 of natural history and botany, which every- 

 where meet the eye of the observant angler, 

 as, rod in hand, he rambles at will along its 

 banks. 



The best fishing month in all the year is c leafy 



