DOVE DALE REVISITED 13 



landed him. Of course I thought I had hold 

 of a grayling. I fished for a grayling, with a 

 grayling fly, in a noted grayling hole ; and yet 

 when I landed my fish he proved to be a lovely 

 trout, and this, be it remembered, was on 

 October 2nd. 



Mine host and I discussed the various merits 

 of this fish its lovely complexion, its fat and 

 beautiful condition, its length, its breadth, its 

 height, and its weight and the dispute ran high 

 on some points, I maintaining his weight to be 

 1 6 oz. at least, and mine host that he was not 

 more than 12 oz. ; during this long discussion 

 my lovely trout, 



" Cast on the bank, he dies with gasping pains, 

 And trickling blood his silver mail distains." 



JOHN GAY. 



We agreed in this, that it is a cruel law which 

 forbids the taking of trout at such an early date. 



Not long afterwards the same thing occurred 

 again. I fished for a grayling, and again I 

 hooked what turned out to be a beautiful trout ; 

 and so it was all the time; we could catch 

 nothing but pesky trout, when we wanted 

 grayling. 



Sir Humphry Davy was fishing in the Teme 



