ARTIFICIAL FLY-FISHING. 141 



continual inspection of your eyes, which ought, 

 for this kind of angling, to be as sharp as the 

 basilisk's. 



It is^a good plan to always carry some dub- 

 bing, gut, hooks, and silk, out with you in a 

 small pocket-book, that you may be able always 

 to imitate any fly you see the fish rise at more than 

 others. 



The lighter your flies fall on the water the bet- 

 ter; this you will not accomplish by strength, 

 but by practice, always raising your rod by de- 

 grees, after you have made your cast. A young 

 angler should never use more than one fly on the 

 stretcher at first, but when he can throw out 

 pretty well, he may add to the stretcher one or 

 more droppers, observing always to let them be 

 one yard asunder. 



I shall now conclude these rules by giving the 

 reader a passage relating to artifi.cial fly-fishing, 

 (with the alteration only of two or three mono- 

 syllables) from the Spring of that elegant and na- 

 tural descriptive poet, Mr. Thomson, which can- 

 not fail of contributing as well to his amusement, 

 as instruction : 



Soon as the first foul torrent of the brooks, 

 S well'd with the vernal rains, is ebb'd away, 

 And, whit'ning, down their mossy tincture! stream 

 Descends the billowy foam, then is the time, 

 While yet the dark-brown water aids the guile, 

 To tempt the trout. The well-dissembl'd fly, 

 To rod fine tap' ring, with elastic spring, 

 Snatch'd from the hoary steed the floating line, 

 And all thy slender wat'ry stores prepare ; 

 But let not on thy hook the tortur'd worm, 

 Convulsive twist in agonizing folds, 

 Which, by rapacious hunger swallowed deep, 

 Gives, as you tear it from the bleeding breast 

 Of the weak helpless uncomplaining wretch* 



