222 GENERAL ANECDOTES CONNECTED 



about her own neck, and fixed the hook of the 

 dropper fly in her own breast. Thus entangled 

 and hooked, she soon broke off the gut above the 

 dropper, and sailed down the stream, with the 

 end of the fly trailing behind her ; she had not 

 proceeded far before a trout, of about a pound 

 and a half, took the fly effectually. Then com- 

 menced a struggle as extraordinary as ever was 

 witnessed ; a duck at the dropper, and a large 

 trout at the end of the fly ! Whenever the trout 

 exerted itself; the terrors of the duck were very 

 conspicuous ; it fluttered its wings, and dragged 

 the fish. When the trout was more quiet, the 

 duck evidently gave way, and suffered herself to 

 be drawn under some bushes, where the shortness 

 of the gut did not allow the trout to shelter him- 

 self; the duck's head was frequently drawn under 

 water. By chance, however, the gut got across a 

 branch, which hung downwards into the water, 

 and the duck taking advantage of the purchase 

 which this c gave her, dragged her opponent from 

 his hole, and obliged him to show his head above 

 water. Then it became a contest of life and death, 

 the trout was in its last agonies, and the duck 

 evidently in a very weak state, when the gut 

 broke, and suffered them to depart their own way. 

 Sporting Mag. vol. xlviii. 



The Chinese have a fish which is much es- 

 teemed by them, named Tcho-kia-yu, or in French 



