22 HUMOUE1NG THE FLIES. 



avoid disputed extremes, and treading the best of 

 all paths, medio tutissimus ibis. 



You are approaching a stream to fish it. The 

 wind is blowing slantingly over your right 

 shoulder across the water. Keep as far as pos- 

 sible at first from the edge of the bank you stand 

 on, and throw somewhat to your left side on that 

 part of the water running on your side the river. 

 Float your flies down, humouring them nattily 

 on the surface of the water, obliquely to your 

 left, bringing them at a civil distance below you, 

 and close under the bank. Repeat your cast, 

 moving one step higher up, still keeping as far 

 as you can from the water side. When you have 

 fished that nearer side sufficiently, approach the 

 bank, coming down again to the tail-end of the 

 stream, throwing as far as you can across it, 

 humouring your flies as in the first instance, not 

 drawing them directly across to you, but floating 

 them lightly down the stream, until your line 

 begins to grow taut, and the stream has a drag 

 upon it, when you must repeat your cast, a little 

 higher up the stream than before. Pursue this 

 plan until you have fished the stream as widely 

 from you as you can, and up to its head-form- 

 ation. 



The objections to fishing a stream in the above 

 way are, that by so doing you expose your back 

 and side too much to the fish above you, and you 



