24 SALMONIA. 



I shall fish for some time with a large red 

 alder-fly, and I dare say, with as much suc- 

 cess ; that is, with a fly with a dark peacock's 

 harle for body, a red hackle for legs, and wings 

 of the landrail below, and starling above. 



POIET. The water is quite in motion : 

 what noble fish I see on the feed ! I never 

 beheld a finer sight, though I have often seen 

 the May-fly on well-stocked waters. 



HAL. This river is most strictly preserved; 

 not a fish has been killed here since last 

 August, and this is the moment when the large 

 fish come to the surface, and leave their cad 

 bait search and minnow hunting. But I have 

 hardly time to talk ; I have hold of a good 

 fish : they take either alder or May- fly, and 

 having never been fished for this year, they 

 make no distinction, and greedily seize any 

 small object in motion on the water. You 

 see the alder-fly is quite as successful as the 

 May-fly ; but there is a fish which has refused 

 it, and because he has been feeding, glutton- 

 like, on the May-fly : that is the fifth he has 

 swallowed in a minute. Now I shall throw 

 the drake a foot above him. It floats down, 



