Notes and Sport of a Dry -Fly Purist. 155 



limited but liberal number of days for over twenty 

 past seasons. On reaching the beautiful and bank- 

 high river about 10.30, a sparse rise of EphemeridaB 

 continued more or less until one o'clock, of which 

 swallows took more than their share. No sunshine 

 till then, when the heat soon became oppressive, the 

 surface of the smooth water shone like a mirror, and 

 not a ripple disturbed it. By 2.30 p.m. I had three 

 trout in my creel weighing 41b. 2oz., caught on red 

 quills ; therefore, in a pleasant frame of mind, I 

 interviewed the two keepers, and showed my tickets, 

 &c., then went home for refreshment. 



Out again in the evening, the rod was constantly 

 at work from 6 to 7.15, but I lost some time by 

 casting over promising rises which it turned out were 

 made by undersized grayling. Several were caught 

 only 3in. in length, evidently this year's progeny, 

 which showed how they are multiplying since their 

 progenitors were introduced (wisely or not is a moot 

 question) into this part of the Itchen a few years 

 ago. The trout were rising in a swift run in front 

 of " the plantation," down which short, wispy weeds 

 were floating, continually fouling one's hook, and 

 food of some sort must also have come down that 

 attracted the trout to rise at intervals. But they 

 would not touch any of my favourite patterns of 

 artificial flies, and, because the shadows were hasten- 

 ing on apace, I left them, and as a last resort passed 



