118 LEAVES FROM A GAME BOOK. 



hopeless. Why this should be the case is a mystery, but 

 long experience has taught fishermen to accept the fact 

 as gospel. Once when fishing a fly one April day over 

 " Birkenbad," on the Upper Crathes water of the Dee, 

 a small company of running fish could be seen making 

 their way up stream over the shallow at the tail of the 

 pool, while shortly afterwards they began to splash as 

 they passed out at the head of it. Convinced that these 

 fish must have seen and declined my fly, I instantly 

 took the minnow rod in hand to land two fish in double 

 quick time ; then running up stream at best pace, the 

 company of fish was headed at the top of " Floating 

 Bank," where other two were brought ashore, while the 

 rest of them could be seen continuing their journey 

 upwards, so once again getting ahead of them by racing 

 to " Chapel of Ease," one more was accounted for, and 

 then I could follow no further, for they had quitted my 

 water. 



Now with a fly I am sure not one of those fish 

 could have been captured, though by the aid of the 

 merry minnow what would have been a blank day was 



