Fly-Fifhing. 129 



confpicuous as gray ; or fo much fo as black, or 

 green, or white. 



After my new acquaintances had been fplafhing 

 up the water, fearing the trout at their uncouth 

 appearance, I fat down to ruminate for a few 

 minutes under a large beech tree, before trying 

 my luck in the magnificent fucceffion of flreams 

 I faw playing before me. 



Of the myriads of infects humming and buz- 

 zing, flitting and floating around, I miffed the 

 May-fly, in his glofly coat of green, from the 

 happy affemblage. 



Perhaps I was a little too harm in my fufpi- 

 cions of the two lucklefs fimermen, I ftill caught 

 fight of labouring on as hard as ever, in reference 

 to their want of fkill ! For there is no more dif- 

 ficult a time, I believe, to know what fly to felecl:, 

 with the bed chance of fuccefs, than the few days 

 that precede the May-fly feafon. The fifh are 

 ufually accufed then of being fulky, and all "flog- 

 ging" feems thrown away in the endeavour to 

 bring them into better humour. 



What their real feelings may be, fulky or other- 

 wife, I pretend not to unfold ; but I rather ima- 

 gine the reafon they refufe to rife lefs freely than 

 ufual, is from their being engaged much more to 

 their fatisfaction at the bottom of the water. 

 K 



