ON THE THAMES. 315 



he is to have tried to swallow a fish half his own size. 

 Let's put him on a flight of hooks, and use him as a 

 bait for his larger brethren, for if there's a bait better 

 than another for a big jack it is a little jack ; or no, on 

 second thoughts let's mark him and turn him in again." 

 Accordingly I marked him by a process which I be- 

 lieve will be effective, and, if so, of very great use to 

 salmon-breeders. "Harris, should you know this 

 fellow again now he's marked ?" " Certainly, sir." 

 " Very well, then, here he goes into the water again ; 

 and look you, if ever you catch him, he's my fish. Ke- 

 collect the date of marking is June 1st. But now lef s 

 be off down stream. Oh, bother, there goes a punt 

 before us, spinning all the way." " Never mind," 

 said P. ; "I have got my new tackle on, and it's 

 painted green, so that the fish can't see it. We are 

 sure to have them." "All right," said I; "goon." 

 So we floated down the river, spinning and chatting 

 and chaffing, for about half-a-mile. 



" Did you not say something about green just now, 

 friend P. ?" " Yes, I said my tackle was green, and 

 upon my word I think we are of the same colour as 

 the tackle, for you've not had a run, and I've caught 

 nothing but a dead dog, and had a good shot at a 

 swa n the spawn-eating vagabond with my flight of 

 hooks. Oh, it's not the fault of my tackle that we 

 don't catch fish, it's the weather, of course it's the 

 weather, isn't it, Harris ?" " Yes, sir," said Harris ; 



