ON RAPID STREAMS. 179 



assist to bring the fisherman to a right conclu- 

 sion as to whether or no the trout are taking the 

 worm sufficiently well to warrant his persevering 

 with it ; but it is not possible definitely to lay 

 down precise rules on the subject the circum- 

 stances are too varying, too complicated to admit 

 of an exact deduction. I need but allude to the 

 different degrees of skill of different fishermen ; 

 though this ought to be- deducible to what is 

 definable, it is not so, I am aware, because every 

 man who takes a rod in hand has the assur- 

 ance to designate himself a fisherman hence the 

 various degrees of perfection of men in our ranks. 

 Again, the destructive power of other baits at 

 the time in question, as well as the fisher's skill 

 in using them, should be determined before a 

 comparison can be made between any of them. 

 But of this I am sure, that in each individual 

 case, a fisherman will, if a man of experience, be 

 readily able to form a very correct opinion on the 

 subject, and when found, the trial will bring his 

 conclusions at once to a practical demonstration, 

 than which nothing can be more satisfactory. 



As a preamble to such rules as I can give re- 

 specting the propriety of selection and perse- 

 verance with the worm, I will briefly describe 

 what has seemed to me the best ways of using 

 the worm. 



The fisherman should, whenever practicable, be 



in the water ; the reasons for this have already 



been given in speaking of fishing with the beetle. 



He should walk up stream, and carefully select 



N 2 



