206 Dry-Fl.y Fishing.. 



and Western Parks, Koss Castle and Island. 

 Turning to the left over a bridge, one follows on 

 the left bank the downward course of a small river, 

 shallow often brawling, and, as I saw it, weak 

 coffee coloured. The whole walk to Killarney Lake 

 is enchantingly picturesque under shady trees, 

 through ferny dells and flower-embroidered banks, 

 large groups of rhododendra everywhere in full 

 blossom. Among wild flowers I noticed tall fox- 

 glove, speedwell, privet, dog-rose, loose-strife, ox-eye, 

 orchis, &c., but not half so good, in my opinion, as 

 the Hampshire flora. After ascending the circular 

 stone stairs to the top of Ross Castle and looking 

 at the scenery from the four loopholes or windows, 

 I crossed to the island, and found my boatman 

 waiting, with two rods in readiness, a trout he had 

 caught, about 31b. in weight (on a trailed spoon 

 bait), lying at the bottom of the boat. Another 

 boatman, wearing a blue jersey with red letters over 

 the chest, told me that he had early in this season 

 caught a trout weighing 91b. on a fly, and another 

 of 121b. on a Devon minnow. This seemed 

 .satisfactory so far, but whether any Killarney fish 

 would rise to a dry fly, especially on a hot day like 

 this, he thought extremely unlikely. My man 

 then rowed towards a stony beach beyond Eoss 

 Castle, where he said a salmon might be caught, 

 .and he tried for about three hours with large grilse 



