DACE AND CHUB. 83 



ancestors was somehow different from the Chub 

 with which we are acquainted. Possibly, however, 

 the fish of our Metropolitan river, where most of 

 my experience of Chub-fishing has been obtained, 

 may be better educated than those of less classical 

 streams. For one thing, I can vouch, that a fish 

 of quicker sight than the Chub does not swim in 

 English waters. The slightest gleam of the rod, 

 the shadow of the swallow flitting over his quiet 

 corner, and down he goes like lead ; so quickly, in 

 fact, that the eye is rather conscious he is no longer 

 there than aware of his disappearance. Add to 

 this extreme quickness of perception, the woody 

 nature of the haunts in which he is to be found, 

 and the fact that the successful Chub fisher must 

 be prepared to cast his fly to within a few inches 

 of the boughs often into a space the size of his hat 

 under penalty of losing either his fish or his tackle, 

 and it will be conceded that the task is no easy one. 

 In fact, in this school not a few of the masters of 

 the craft have passed their apprenticeship. Thus 

 much as to the fish themselves ; the idiosyncrasies 

 mentioned will assist the angler in applying the fol- 

 lowing observations on the method of catching them. 



