3 o WHA T I HAVE SEEN WHILE FISHING 



overboard, which, no doubt, the male bird was 

 busily looking after. 



The flood upset many well-laid plans, ours 

 amongst the number, but that was of little moment : 

 we had only to turn our thoughts from flies to 

 worms ; worms, and moss to scour them. 



Please, kind reader, do not turn away, but accept 

 the assurance that, even should you never have 

 been guilty of such poaching practices as worm 

 fishing is said to be, by some too goody-goody 

 anglers, there is yet time for you to learn and much 

 enjoy this sport. You may hold up your hands in 

 horror and refuse to hear a word upon this subject : 

 if that be the case, then skip the rest of this chapter. 

 But if you can imagine that the occasion may some- 

 times demand such methods of fishing, against all 

 dictates of rigid sentiment, then I will help you. 



Who is not ignorant of the curious ideas that 

 rule some of the fly-fisher's world ? They are so 

 curious as not to be readily understood as, indeed, 

 were those of the angler who grew so delicately 

 refined that a hooked fish became too gross for him 

 and he had to hand it to his gillie to be played and 

 killed. 



We can only wonder and pass on, feeling thank- 

 ful that our more elastic conscience allows us to put 

 " only rarely " instead of " never." 



Be advised. Always have with you a coarse 

 linen bag, the size and shape you carry your sponge 

 in. That's the preliminary step, I do, and am off, 



