102 ANGLING. 



iiingly to deceive the cunning trout, who lies with his nose 

 up stream watching for his prey until 



" He lifts his yellow gills above the flood, 

 And greedily sucks in the unfaithful food ; 

 Then downward plunges with the fraudful prey, 

 And bears with joy the little spoil away. 

 Soon a smart pain, he feels the dire mistake, 

 The danger great ; too late he starts awake. 

 With sudden rage he now aloft appears, 

 And in his eye convulsive anguish bears. 

 And now again impatient of the wound, 

 He rolls and writhes his straining body round ; 

 Then headlong plunges 'neath the friendly wave, 

 With frantic strength tries hard his life to save. 

 Now hope exalts the fisher's beating heart; 

 Now he turns pale, now fears his dubious art. 

 He views the trembling fish with, longing eyes, 

 While the line stretches with the unwieldy prize ; 

 Each motion humours with his steady hands, 

 But one slight hair the mighty bulk commands ; 

 Till tired at last, despoil'd of all his strength, 

 The game athwart the stream unfolds his length ; 

 And there, all efforts o'er, he floating lies, 

 Stretches his quivering fins, and gasping dies." 



Ere the young angler can realise all the delights of his 

 pursuit, he will have much to learn, and it will be his fault 

 if he does not profit by these instructions. He must re- 

 member, however, that all that a book can do is to point 

 out the right road, and practice must do the rest. 



The first lesson which the young fisherman has to learn 

 is to throw the line. To do this properly requires no 

 little address. The rod should be light, stiffish rather than 

 supple, and about twelve feet long. His winch should be 

 fixed with the handle towards the left, and he should draw 

 out from three to four yards beyond the topmost ring. 



