22 SALMONIA. [SECOND DAY 



upon the water, and some are leaving the alders to 

 sport in the sunshine, and to enjoy the pleasures of 

 their brilliant, though short existence ; and their life, 

 naturally ephemeral, is made one of scarcely a moment, 

 by the fishes and birds : that which the swallow or the 

 duck spares is caught by the fish. The fly is new, 

 and in the imitation, I recommend the olive tint, or 

 what the Irish call the green monkey -, that is, an 

 artificial fly, with a wing of dyed yellow drake's 

 feather, a body of yellow monkey's fur, and a small 

 quantity of olive mohair for legs. For myself, I shall 

 fish for some time with a large red alder-fly, and I 

 dare say, with as much success ; that is, with a fly 

 with a dark peacock's harle for body, a red hackle 

 for legs, and wings of the land-rail 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 the alder or May-fly, and having never 

 been fished for this year, they make no distinction, and 



