THE ANGLER'S GUIDE. 131 



him as possible, as though you thought he 

 had around him all the fish in the water ; for 

 such conduct always looks weak and mean, 

 and you will not, in nineteen cases out of every 

 twenty, reap any benefit from it. As already 

 mentioned, be sure you keep your shadow 

 off the water. You need not, however, be afraid 

 of making a noise, or shaking the ground, for 

 it is a perfectly mistaken notion that fish are 

 affected by it. We have proved it, by looking 

 through the sedges at them, and bawling with 

 all our might, while others did the same. We 

 have also watched them while part of an old 

 stand was lifted up and let fall with the 

 greatest force on the bank, but in both cases 

 the fish were perfectly still. Do not go too 

 long without food, nor sit down long in wet 

 clothes, nor be ashamed to put on a good 

 thick great-coat, a warm cap, a pair of overalls, 

 and a thick pair of clogs, or to sit in a shower 

 beneath a very large umbrella. All these are 

 very comfortable things, and are not to be 

 despised, though some novices do not think of 

 them and enjoy them. But we speak from 

 experience. 



And now, to conclude, we will only say we 

 wish all our friends health to fish, happiness 



