ANCIENT ANGLING AUTHORS 191 



The passage quoted below appears to be descriptive 

 of an early form of dry fly-fishing. The dryness of 

 the fly would, of course, depend upon the vigour with 

 which the shaking process was performed, and the 

 efficacy of the method advocated would seem to be 

 more probably due to the floating of the fly than to 

 its shadow having been seen by the fish : 



Then shake your Fly twice or thrice over the 

 Water, that the Shadow of it may be seen before 

 it touches the water, if you suspect a Trout to be 

 there ; the best places are in a deep stream, near a. 

 bush or stump, or the piles of a bridge ; let your fly 

 drop easy upon the surface of the water, and if there 

 be a Trout near, he will rise at it eagerly. 



The chief places for barbel near London at this 

 time appear to have been Kingston Bridge and 

 Shepperton Pool, " at the latter of which places there 

 is good accommodation for Anglers, a great quantity 

 of Barbel, and good company all the Summer." 



The following extract is complimentary to the 

 fighting qualities of neither the chub nor the 

 Portuguese soldier: 



They are cowardly, inasmuch, that if you once 

 turn them, they are presently dispirited, and you 

 manage them as you please. For this reason some 

 waggish, merry Anglers compare them to Portugese 

 Soldiers, who have very little inclination to fighting 

 at any time, even tho' the defence of their Country 

 requires them, and if their enemy make a vigorous 

 attack, they immediately turn tail, and it is twenty 

 to one if you can prevail with them, by any means 

 to face about. 



