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when * earnestly desired ' to do so, was, as a mechanical effort, 

 about as faulty as it well could be, and the only wonder is 

 that more scientific and convenient methods of fastening the rod 

 together were not long ago devised. The ' Irish joint,' with which 

 was fitted a rod I had by Messrs. Kelly, of Dublin, some fifteen 

 years ago, was the first step, so far as I am aware, in the right 

 direction. Here the ferrule was attached to the smaller instead of 

 to the larger joint, over which it slipped, and was fixed in its place 

 by a screw. This joint, besides never coming apart, possessed 

 the merit of keeping the rain and rod-drippings out of the joint. 

 It was, notwithstanding, very far from perfection. The mode of 

 attachment making it almost impossible to obtain a close enough 

 ' fit ' of the overlapping ferrule to prevent a slight disagreeable 

 sensation of " wabbling " at the point of junction. The ferrules 

 of my rod also broke short across on one or two critical occa- 

 sions, probably owing to the transverse rivet, and on the whole it 

 could only be fairly described as a " modified success." Still I 

 have an affection for the old rod, with which I killed more fish 

 than I shall perhaps ever kill again. . . And at any rate it was 

 a move in advance all honour be to the inventor ! 



Since the Fisheries Exhibition, however, a number of vastly 

 improved fastenings have been brought out albeit entirely by 

 fishing tackle makers, so far as I am aware several of which 

 fulfil all the required conditions in a very admirable degree 

 perhaps in as complete a degree as is mechanically possible. A 

 few of the best of these I shall endeavour to present with illus- 

 trative diagrams, which will, I hope, make any lengthened verbal 

 description superfluous, thus saving alike space and the reader's 

 time. 



Let me take first Farlow's new registered rod joint fastener. 



This is an eminently simple, as well as perfectly effectual, "lock- 

 joint " ; and owing to its adding little or no weight to the rod is 

 sure to take a high place in popular estimation. 



