THE TROUT. 45 



able distance round the country. We have, ourselves, witnessed 

 four of such contests; and on these occasions, the difference 

 between the rivals never exceeded eight or ten fish, ut of a day's 

 sport, yielding from eight to ten dozen each; and, in only two 

 cases, had the contending parties a single fly alike. 



In addition to these cases, we may be alloAved to add, that we 

 fished one entire season for trout, with only two kinds of flies 

 the red and black palmer ; and we were as successful on the whole 

 period as any of our angling competitors. 



Now, these statements and facts are introduced, not with a view 

 of enforcing, in a dogmatical spirit, any general rules for the 

 government of fly-fishers, but solely _ to guard young beginners 

 from falling into a fidgetty^nd fastidious habit of perpetually 

 changing flies, whenever their success is not commensurate with 

 their hopes. We never knew a fancy angler with an old bit of gut. 

 The fact is, there are general rules in this art as well as in every 

 other; but they must be deduced from carefully collated facts. 

 One grain of reasoning founded on experience is worth a ton of 

 theory and speculation in such cases. < 



There is a fertile source of deception as to the trout's fondness 

 for particular flies, which deserves our notice ; it is this : having 

 cast our line over a stream, when we draw it across, the bob-fly is 

 the first which by the mechanical process can solicit the attention, 

 of the fish. When, therefore, trout are in the humour, tliis will, 

 in the majority of cases, appear to be the favourite fly, and the 

 angler notes down on the " tablet of his memory," that such is 

 really the case. We have often changed the flies on this account, 

 with a view of testing the fact. That which seemed to be the 

 favourite fly, was put on the stretcher, and an entirely different 

 fly mounted as the oob one ; and yet the result was just the same ; 

 the latter became, apparently, the favourite fly, and the stretcher 

 was apparently neglected. 



This we feel confident arises solely from the mechanical arrange- 

 ment of the flies, and the manner in which the line is thrown. 

 The bob comes over the nose of the fish first, and he takes it imme- 

 diately, never calculating on what may be behind him. We would., 

 therefore, advise all young anglers to pay strict attention to this 

 matter before they adopt any hasty conclusion as to the pre- 

 ference which the fish may seem to give to any particular fly. 



In conformity with an inference deducible from these general ob- 

 servations, we shall not furnish the reader with a very long list of 

 flies, but confine ourselves to such standard and every-day articles 

 of sport as will not, we hope, disappoint the angler, provided he is 

 content to put up with the solid, though, apparently, homely bill 

 of fare. 



The RED HACKLE, and RED PALMER flies, on No. 6, Limerick, 

 will prove killing baits in all parts of the kingdom, particularly 

 in the early part of the season. As summer advances, the same 

 flies, on hooks two sizes less, will answer the purpose well; if 



