10 Dry -Fly Fishiny. 



Nature's pages are opened out to you in all the 

 beauty and miracle of awakening spring. From the 

 wood hard by come the ever welcome dual notes of 

 the cuckoo, as if in answer to your thoughts ; the 

 earliest of the hirundines are sporting over the river, 

 marvels of grace and activity ; a single peewit, as 

 he circles round in low flight, oft repeats his common 

 name, and on the top of a hawthorn a song-bird 

 pours forth a plaintive tale set to music all divine. 

 A few patches of cirrous clouds are noticed coming 

 up with the freshening wind, and the first doubt 

 arises in your mind whether the day will remain 

 fine. Lose no more time, therefore, as you want ta 

 explore all the water and to get another fish. Your 

 creel rides comfortably at your side and the landing 

 net ; you resume the rod and move stealthily 

 forward " noiseless as fear in a wide wilderness," and 

 soon reach the scene of your late triumph near the 

 eddy. Tour trout now looks more beautiful than 

 when lately landed, for then fear and exhaustion 

 had changed his natural colour to paler hues, and 

 his spots were fainter. But now they show bright 

 crimson, black, and brown, and his sides glisten with 

 a silver sheen. Prepare a bed in your creel of marsh 

 marigolds, lady smocks, celandines, daffodils, and 

 tender grasses whereon to lay him, as it were, 

 in state, so that admiring friends on your return 

 home may view him to advantage. 



