68 ROD AND RIVER 



at all excessive. They will wear out two or 

 three cheaper lines, and instead of being hard 

 and kinky when first taken into use, they run as 

 smoothly and perfectly through the rings the first 

 day as the last, and it is by no means easy to foul 

 them, whereas the generality of lines are for ever 

 getting into curls, and kinks, and knots, thereby 

 wearing themselves out in no time. 

 . Many of the best trout-lines are now made 

 tapered at either end, with a view of greater 

 casting-power being thereby obtained. Frankly 

 speaking, I do not like them ; they are, as a 

 rule, made to taper far too suddenly. 

 . Moreover, the ends of all lines must wear out 

 sooner or later, and so the taper becomes shorter 

 and shorter, until by degrees the line is done for. 

 Again, when it becomes necessary to use a long 

 line, .the weight of one tapered is too great ; the 

 increased length is quite sufficient for the rod to 

 sustain without the additional thickness. With 

 a line dressed on Messrs. Eaton and Deller's 

 principle, taper should be unnecessary. Such fads 

 are all very well in theory, but they are not as 

 practical as they ought to be, and it is never 

 advisable, in all sporting requisites, to make use 

 of anything which is not thoroughly so. I cannot 

 too strongly caution the reader against the pur- 

 chase of such an abomination as a line composed 

 of silk and horsehair ; such lines kink and stretch, 



