EASY-CHAIR MEMORIES 59 



May they live a happy life, and enjoy the plea- 

 sures of angling till they are each left to cling 

 as last leaves in a blessed state of happy 

 old age. 



Angling is said to be "the contemplative 

 man's recreation/' and it is true that your 

 bottom fisherman may sometimes repose on 

 that part of his anatomy, and contemplate and 

 " think as he smokes tobacco " ; but your fly- 

 fisherman who wants to catch trout has some- 

 thing else to do. 



We are all of us apt to prate about the 

 beauties of Nature when we go a-fishing, but, 

 truth to tell, we are more apt to have our 

 attention intently fixed on the one object we 

 have in view. In imagination we paint pretty 

 pictures of the delights of wandering on soft, 

 velvety grass by the side of still waters on 

 balmy summer evenings; in reality, our walk 

 on the river's margin is not in the least velvety. 

 We drag our tired feet through long dead grass 

 covering hard clods and deep holes made by 

 the hoofs of cattle when the ground was soft 

 and wet. One of our eyes is constantly on 

 the look-out for those harsh foot-traps and the 

 other for a rising trout. One has no time to 



