to a dingy link of five cow's hair, for he had no 

 thought of playing with the trouts and then, with 

 a rough hazel rod, about nine feet long, and a line 

 to match, "begin fishing ; and in two hours catch as 

 many trouts as some cockney fly-fishers, whose rod, 

 flies, and tackle may have cost them ten pounds, 

 take in a whole season. 



SIMPSON. What you say proves that in streams 

 where trouts are so plentiful not much skill is 

 required to take them. May we not, then, conclude, 

 that the best fly-fishers are to be found in London, 

 as they are confined to angle in waters where the 

 fish are scarce, and so shy as only to be caught 

 with the finest tackle skilfully managed ? 



TWEDDELL. You may conclude so: and, upon 

 the same grounds, you may also infer that cockney- 

 sportsmen, who range the fields within ten or fifteen 

 miles of London, where partridges are scarce and 

 shy, are the best shots. 



FISHER I know that there are excellent fly- 

 fishers in London; but the best, I am inclined to 

 think, did not acquire their craft in the Colne or the 

 Wan die, though they may now and then occasionally 

 basket a few heavy trout from those streams. Chantrey 

 can throw a long line cleverly, either for trout or 

 salmon; but he was a proficient in the art, having 

 killed many a trout in Dovedale, before he came to 

 London, and I doubt if he be improved much since 

 he became an B. A. Sir Walter Scott has mentioned, 

 but where I forget, Chantrey 's partiality to sal- 





