SECOND DAY.] BAITS. 23 



greedily seize any small object in motion on the water. 

 You. see the alder-fly is quite as successful as the May- 

 fly; but there is a fish which has refused it, and because 

 he has been feeding, glutton-like, on the May-fly : 

 that is the fifth he has swallowed in a minute. Now 

 I shall throw the drake a foot above him. It floats 

 down, and he has taken it. A fine fish ; I think at 

 least 4 Ibs. This is the largest fish we have yet seen, 

 but in the deep water still lower down, there are still 

 greater fish. One of 5 Ibs. I have known taken here, 

 and once a fish a little short only of 6 Ibs. 



POIET. I have just landed a fish which I suppose 

 you will consider as a small one ; yet I am tempted 

 to kill him. 



HAL. He is not a fish to kill ; throw him back, he 

 is much under 2 Ibs., and, as I ought to have told you 

 before, we are not allowed to kill any fish of less size ; 

 and I am sure we shall all have more than we ought 

 to carry away even of this size. Pray put him into 

 the well, or rather give him to the fisherman to turn 

 back into the water. 



POIET. I cannot say I approve of this manner of 

 fishing ; I lose my labour. 



HAL. As the object of your fishing, I hope, is 

 innocent amusement, you can enjoy this, and show 

 your skill in catching the animal ; and if every fish 

 that took the May-fly were to be killed, there would 



