II. 



THE TROUT. 



I CONFESS to approaching the subject of trout- 

 fishing "trouting," as it is generally called in 

 the North with considerable diffidence. So much 

 has been written on the subject, and so well 

 written, that it seems a work of supererogation 

 to add to the quantity ; but a fishing-book con- 

 taining no chapter upon trout-fishing would be 

 " Hamlet " with the part of Hamlet left out ; and 

 I therefore, as in previous chapters, ofTer to the 

 young angler the results of my own experience and 

 observation for just what they may be worth. 



When I commenced writing the present volume, 

 I determined not to " read up," to consult no 

 authorities, and to record no experiences except 

 my own ; this on no principle of vanity, or sup- 

 posing that I could learn nothing, but from a 



