166 Dry-Fly Fishing. 



Headbourne Worthy Saw Mills abounds in shallows, 

 contiguous to sufficient weed cover, and ensuring 

 plenty of food to the fish. Here during the 

 following April (1902) they were seen to be spawn- 

 ing, and afterwards during the trout season about 

 ten brace were caught by dry-fly fishers. They 

 were, however, carefully put back, so that they 

 might have a fair chance to increase and multiply. 

 This they evidently did, for in October of the above 

 year, on one occasion, several hundreds of their 

 descendants were observed by me in the weirs, from 

 l^in. to 2-^in. long, also about forty a few inches 

 longer, and three of some 11 in. But presumably 

 they soon after drifted still lower down. 



In 1903 at spawning time a great many grayling 

 dropped down to the narrow part of the mill stream 

 close to the city, and, in a weakly state after 

 ovipositing, some few surrendered to the force of the 

 at times very swift water, and were lost to the above 

 fishery, and three or four were caught and killed by 

 local fishermen, although worthless and out of condi- 

 tion, and an illegal act. In 1 904 only four came to the 

 same place to spawn, in 1905, seven, but the next year 

 not one, which (coupled with the fact that many 

 mature grayling are at present to be seen in the side 

 stream a little below the first hut, and all the way 

 up to and beyond the second hut, also round the 

 horseshoe-bend communicating through somewhat 



