LOUGH DERG. 247 



other. In the daylight it is a quick, startled 

 snatch, like a boy who picks a pocket and 

 runs away ; by night it is a calm, deliberate 

 smack. The fish lies at the surface, with 

 the top of his back out of water ; and, on 

 seeing a fly, impels himself calmly towards 

 it with a slow wave of his tail, and, opening 

 his mouth with a sound that resembles a 

 hearty kiss more than it does anything else, 

 sucks it completely into his gullet. The 

 difficulty is to recover the fly after the fish 

 is landed, not to make it hold. 



In the present instance there was little 

 fear for the tackle, which, being composed 

 of the gut of damaged salmon-flies, was 

 much stronger than would on any other oc- 

 casion be used for trout. The only difficult 

 manoeuvre was the application of the landing- 

 net, which, as it was altogether out of the 

 question to see the line, required some care 

 and contrivance. The fish, when a little 

 tired, was brought to the surface and made 

 to splash the water. This, of course, was 

 easily seen by the attendant, and the net was 

 insinuated carefully under him. 



For somewhat more than half an hour 

 did they catch as fast as they could throw ; 



