Notes and Sport of a Dry -Fly Purist. 127 



hopeful mood as to sport (for thunder-clouds were 

 gathering in the distance as black as ink, and a few 

 premonitory big drops of rain were falling) I waited 

 on the east bank watching for any movement. A 

 trout rose under the opposite side and sucked in a 

 natural fly. Many times my lure was presented, 

 with occasional intervals between. At last he rose 

 to it and fastened, fighting well, but a losing battle, 

 and was soon brought to the grass, weighing lib. 7oz. 

 In the evening, when the weather had somewhat 

 cleared, I went along the west side as far as the 

 Spring Grarden lower hatch, to make a last attempt 

 to catch a goodly trout I had often observed 

 and cast over. He fed close to a mass of green 

 tussock grass overhanging the water, and under 

 which was his haunt when idle. The set of the 

 stream round the wide bend of the river brought 

 floating ephemerida?, trichoptera, and nocturnal 

 lepidoptera to the tussock, often touching and even 

 clinging to its blades trailing on the surface ; the 

 wily fish therefore invariably took up one and the 

 same position when hungry, opening his mouth 

 wide to receive the tempting morsels. It was 

 difficult for a dry-fly to be placed in front of him 

 by the most skilful angler, for the hook so often 

 caught on the grass, which was tough, and in 

 pulling the gut broke. I much coveted that fish, 

 and did not like to be beaten. I had, therefore, a 



