THAMES FISHING. 



friend's parlour, or whatever it may be called, I 

 found him busily employed in dressing up a fly. 

 He was seated in an old-fashioned easy arm-chair, 

 with his little terrier at his feet, and a small table 

 by his side covered with the hackles of cocks, wings 

 of ducks, and other materials for the construction 

 of artificial flies. Over his fire-place hung two 

 guns and various sticks seasoning for fishing-rods. 

 Several of these latter implements were neatly 

 arranged at the other end of the room, while beneath 

 them were placed two well used fishing -baskets, a 

 landing-net, and an old game-bag, which had evi- 

 dently been often replenished. Under a table 

 peeped out part of a fishing-net, and upon it was a 

 backgammon-board reposing on a piece of green 

 baize, on which was placed a small tea-urn, evi- 

 dently more for show than use. On the mantel- 

 piece were several small stuffed birds, one of which 

 Ned seemed to set great store by, and assured 

 me it was the only one ever seen in that part of 

 the country. I also observed on the same place 

 the tail of a rattlesnake, a flask of gunpowder, 

 part of an old Roman vase, a snuff-box or two, 

 the jaws of a pike, and some other curiosities. 

 There was also a small bookcase containing two 

 or three odd volumes of Sir Charles Grandison, 

 the Angler's Guide, a book of surgery, and another 

 of farriery, a Shakspeare in one volume, and a 

 small pocket Horace, which seemed to have been 



