A DAY AT LOUGH MELVIN. 55 



sequently, exhibiting all the flies to any fish 

 that may be lying between it and him. 



The line being fastened to the upper edge 

 of the float-board, a strong pull from either 

 fish or fisherman would lay it flat on the 

 water ; and thus the fisherman is always able 

 to draw it towards him, though, as long as 

 the draft is not too great to prevent it from 

 swimming on its edge, its tendencies are 

 slightly outward. 



To balance and manage such a machine 

 as this requires considerable ingenuity ; but, 

 for all that, it finds small favour with 

 sportsmen, because it necessarily pricks and 

 frightens ten times as many fish as it 

 catches. There may be reasonable doubts 

 whether it injures the breed of fish by the 

 numbers it destroys, because, though it may 

 succeed for a few days, it soon makes them 

 so shy that they will look at nothing. It 

 should never be used on known ground cer- 

 tainly, but it is extremely useful in recon- 

 noitring a strange lake. 



It was for this reason that the Captain, a 

 perfect piscatorial martinet, was looking with 

 such infinite disgust at the proceedings of 

 the Squire and Scholar. These two were 



