MISCELLANEA. 29 



tached with ease to any properly made reel, and I 

 venture to think that no troller or fly-fisher who 



has once found the practical convenience of such 

 an antidote to "hitching" will ever use a reel with- 

 out it 



FLOATS. 



The best and most durable floats are made of 

 porcupine quill ; for the finer description of fishing, 

 of a single quill simply, and where larger floats 

 are required, as in the " Nottingham style," of por- 

 cupine and goose or swan quill combined, the 

 upper half of the float being composed of the 

 hollow quill. This float, of which I believe I was 

 the originator, unites the advantages of being ex- 

 ceeding strong, unconspicuous, and of giving pro- 

 bably a greater supporting power, bulk for bulk, 

 than either of the ordinary combinations of corks 

 or quills. It can be made of any size, up to a foot 

 long, which is the best length for heavy Netting- 



