130 SALMONIA. [FIFTH DAY 



fishing always after great floods, but in fine and dry 

 weather it is of little use to try. I have hooked 

 twenty fish in a day, after the first August floods, in 

 this river; and, should sport fail, the celebrated 

 Giant's Causeway is within a mile of its mouth, and 

 furnishes to the lovers of natural beauty, or of geo- 

 logical research, almost inexhaustible sources of 

 interest. The Blackwater, at Lismore, is a very good 

 salmon river : and the Shannon, above Limerick and 

 at Castle Connel, whenever the water is tolerably high, 

 offers many good casts to the fly-fisher ; but they can 

 only be commanded by boats. But there is no 

 considerable river along the northern or western coast^ 

 with the exception of the Avoca, which has been 

 spoiled by the copper mines, that does not afford 

 salmon, and, if taken at the proper time, offer sport to 

 the salmon fisher. But it is time for us to return 

 to our inn. 



THE INN. 



POIET. Should it be a fine day to-morrow, I 

 think we shall have good sport ; the high tide will 

 bring up fish, and the rain and wind of yesterday 

 will have enlarged the river. 



HAL. To-morrow we must not fish ; it is the 

 Lord's day, and a day of rest. It ought likeAvise to 



