234 DRY-FLY FISHING 



bank on which the long grass scarcely waves, and 

 between them glides softly the silent water. 



Detaching ourselves completely from all the 

 sounds and scenes around and very difficult it 

 is to ignore the play of light and shade on the 

 hills, and refuse to hear the sky-lark's song and 

 the curlew's far, wild cry we watch with unfal- 

 tering attention the deep black shadow beneath 

 the bank;. We have already noticed that down 

 the pool floats an occasional tiny black smut of 

 white glistening wing, and that all are allowed 

 to pass on unmolested ; but in expectation of 

 the welcome being merely delayed we have attached 

 a Badger Hackle of smallest size to the very finest 

 cast in our possession. We watch and wait. 



At last the faintest disturbance appears on 

 the surface close to the bank ; so very faint in- 

 deed is it that, had we not been watching the spot 

 in hope of it occurring, we should probably have 

 failed to detect it ; we might even conclude that 

 we had merely imagined it, were it not repeated 

 again and yet again. 



At one time, had we accidentally seen such 

 a mark, we would probably have said that it was 

 nothing but a minute air-bubble rising from the 

 bottom, or considered it caused by a diminutive 

 minnow rising quietly, but we have investigated 

 and found that it is made by an exceptional trout 

 raising itself slowly towards the surface to suck 

 down a fly. Sometimes, but not always, a bell 

 of air remains to mark the spot. The rise is the 

 deadliest of all the many kinds of rises, the one 

 that we most rejoice to see, for the fish that feeds 

 in this quiet fashion is worthy a place in any basket, 



