FAVOURITE FLIES. 145 



If your fish misses the fly in making his offer, wait 

 awhile before you throw a second time ; and if he rises 

 at all, he will come more eagerly for this delay. When 

 he returns to his seat, after the unsuccessful sortie, he 

 will say mentally (for thus do fishes and novelists dis- 

 course), "What a donkey I was to be so awkward ! By 

 St. Antonio, if he comes again, I'll smash him!" But 

 if you keep lashing away at him immediately, as I 

 have seen many fishermen do, — ay, and practised hands 

 too, — he will probably treat you with contempt, and 

 will have no intercourse with your gay deluders for the 

 rest of the day. It is some time, perhaps, since he has 

 taken up his seat in the water, without ever having 

 seen an animal like that which you are so obliging as 

 to tender him : all of a sudden come a swarm of locusts 

 as it were, one after another over his neb, which astonish 

 and alarm him exceedingly. Thus it is apparent, my 

 most excellent, but too persevering friend, that you do 

 not do justice to his sagacity, or instinct, or whatever 

 you please to term it, if you set to work in such an 

 intrusive manner. 



As in all other rivers, so there are various flies made 

 use of in the Tweed ; but the variety consists more, I 

 think, in size than in colour. A large fly, as I have 

 said, for the heavy and deep waters, and a smaller one 

 for the upper part of the river. That is the general 

 system. More minute particulars I have already given. 

 Here are six flies, which I have always found the most 

 successful : I do not mean to say that they are the best 

 that can be used, but only that they are such as I have 

 most confidence in from experience. They were tried 



