THE KILT A KILLING DRESS. 15 



thing could more than this completely prove the 

 truth of two particular points. First, the benig- 

 nity of our own disposition, the disposition of us 

 who, though long forgetful of entomology, possess 

 above ten thousand kinds of insects, in thus mildly 

 submitting to see nature herself outraged by being 

 " imitated so abominably ;" secondly, the indis- 

 criminate voracity of this particular trout, and so 

 of trouts in general, in swallowing a piece of 

 barbed steel, surrounded by fiery feathers, the 

 likeness of which had never been seen by any one 

 before, still less behind. In truth, our natural 

 feeling of anger was converted into blandness, by 

 the very agreement with our theory, of an act in 

 itself so reprehensible ; and when our kilted friend 

 cocked his eye towards ourselves, as much as to 

 say, " What think ye now 2" we submitted without 

 a murmur. He maintains to this day that he has 

 overthrown our theory, never to rise again,- he 

 maintained it lately even to " Charles Edward," 

 by Beauly's rocky stream, and yet we forgive 

 him from our heart. The reader will now know 

 what it is to be a Christian. 



But let us not be misunderstood, in regard to 

 the principles which regulate the actual practice of 

 the art. An accomplished angler knows by ex- 

 perience, that he kills more fish with certain flies 

 than others, and he also discovers that pecu- 

 liar kinds are adapted to particular places, or vary 

 with the season. In this he is a true Baconian, 

 and should act accordingly, but let him not mis- 

 take the posture of affairs, or the great regulating 



