442 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



and also because there are then but few flies that can lie 

 upon the water ; for where they have so much choice, you 

 may easily imagine they will not be so eager and forward 

 to rise at a bait, that both the shadow of your body, and 

 that of your rod, nay, of your very line, in a hot calm day, 

 will, in spite of your best caution, render suspected to them ; 

 but even then, in swift streams, or by sitting down patiently 

 behind a willow-bush, you shall do more execution than at 

 almost any other time of the year with any other fly ; 

 though one may sometimes hit of a day, when he shall come 

 home very well satisfied with sport with several other flies ; 

 but with these two, the green drake and the stone-fly, I 

 do verily believe I could, some days in my life, had I not 

 been weary of slaughter, have loaden a lusty boy ; and have 

 sometimes, I do honestly assure you, given over upon the 

 mere account of satiety of sport ; which will be no hard 

 matter to believe, when I likewise assure you, that with this 

 very fly I have in this very river that runs by us, in three 

 or four hours, taken thirty, five-and -thirty, and forty of the 

 best trouts in the river. What shame and pity it is, then, 

 that such a river should be destroyed by the basest sort of 

 people, by those unlawful ways of fire and netting in the 

 night, and of damming, groping, spearing, hanging, and 

 hooking by day, which are now grown so common, that, 

 though we have very good laws to punish such offenders, 

 every rascal does it, for aught I see, impiint. 



To conclude, I cannot now in honesty but frankly tell 

 you, that many of these flies I have named, at least so made 

 as we make them here, will peradventure do you no great 

 service in your southern rivers ; and will not conceal from 

 you, but that I have sent flies to several friends in London, 



