O.V THE THAMES. 313 



and faithful ' In Memoriam ?'" Old Izaak is buried 

 in the cathedral at Winchester; and should the 

 reader ever take himself there to catch Itchin trout, 

 he should go and look at Izaak's monument, for it 

 will assuredly bring him luck 



But to return to the Thames. 



The first day of June is to the Thames angler 

 what the first of September is to the partridge-shot, for 

 it is on this day that the former can begin his angling 

 operations without let or hindrance, either from fear 

 of laws piscatorial, or from qualms of his own con- 

 science. It is true, indeed, that but very few fish can 

 be caught in the beginning of June ; but still there 

 is something in trying to catch them. 



Accordingly, one fine first-of-June morning found 

 your humble servant and his poetico-piscatorial friend 

 P. being punted through Chertsey Bridge by the 

 stalwart and clever fisherman, John Harris of Wey- 

 bridge, both hard at work putting new tackle together 

 and in as high spirits as two Cockney anglers could 

 have been on the first day of the season. We first put 

 together our trout-tackle in order to try the weir ; but 

 when we got there, alas ! two punts with two anglers 

 in each were moored in the only two likely places, 

 and we heard from Harris a most exciting account of 

 the trout of the year that had been of course cap- 

 tured " the day before yesterday," and that by some- 

 body who, as far as sport is concerned, had no business 



