2 ANGLING. 



well educated too, so that if any of the old practitioners 

 were now to appear on the banks of their favourite trout 

 streams they would find their skill and their tackle alike 

 unequal to the capture of those " trouts of 20in." &c., 

 which we read about so constantly in their works. 



The art of angling is divided into three sections, 

 " bottom fishing," or fishing with a bait on the bottom ; 

 mid- water fishing, comprehended principally in spinning 

 and trolling ; and surface fishing, which is chiefly prac- 

 tised in fly-fishing. 



We will commence at the lower round of the ladder, 

 and take bottom fishing first. Bottom fishing is the 

 most primitive style, no doubt. We all more or less 

 began with bottom fishing, and pitched minnows and 

 sticklebacks out on the grass, with a pin, thread, and 

 worm with as much interest and delight, and perhaps 

 a good deal more than we now evince in the cap- 

 ture of a two-pound trout, or even of a lordly salmon ! 

 Anon promoted to a real halfpenny hook and a withy, the 

 noble gudgeon or the festive roachling became the 

 sweeteners of our existence. The withy was discarded 

 for a sixpenny two-joint hazel rod; until, finally, on 

 some glorious red-letter day which we all remember so 

 well, and will to the last hour of existence papa having 

 heard from Dr. Whackem that Frank was really doing 

 his declensions very creditably indeed considering his age, 

 and had said his 4th prop, of Euclid without a mistake 

 considering that if he knew the value of two, it would 

 be quite proper that his eldest-born should be equal to one 

 angle at least prepared a surprise for us ; and when we 

 walked into the breakfast parlour on the morning of our 

 twelfth birthday, there sat the dear old man with that 

 noble four-and-sixpenny four-jointed bambooer which we 



