110 



TWO DAYS FLY FISHING, 



ON THE 



BANKS OF THE TEST. 



' Ob the gallant fisher's life, 

 ' It is the best of any, 

 Tis full of pleasure, void of strife 

 ' And tis beloved by many.' 



IZAAC WALTON. 



It was on a beautiful morning towards the begin- 

 ning of June that I set off with my old and dear 

 friend Harry Warner on a fishing excursion into 

 Hampshire. We were neither of us ' mighty mos- 

 * ters of the line,' but then we yielded to none in 

 enthusiasm for the sport, or rather in that love of 

 nature, which is so delightfully enjoyed on the banks 

 of a trout stream. Perhaps I run the risk of losing 

 the good opinion of some of my worthy brother 

 anglers, when I candidly confess that I derive only 

 a secondary gratification in the mere act of fishing. 

 The balmy softness of a fine morning in the spring, 



