vi Preface. 



evident that the higher education has extended 

 to the trout ; and the schoolmasters, in the shape 

 of numberless fishermen, constantly presenting 

 the artificial fly to their gaze, have taught these 

 beautiful and bold members of the salmon family 

 to distinguish the real from the unreal, and which 

 knowledge, if effective means are not found, will 

 in all probability enable the fish to beat the fisher. 

 It is only when the May fly is on the water that 

 the trout appear to lose this newly-acquired sense, 

 and we then see the great lords of the stream 

 taking almost any counterfeit of this fly ; in fact 

 at that time the trout appear to give way to the 

 detestable vice of gluttony, and become idiotic." 



What, then, is to be done? We must set our 

 wits to work to circumvent this disregard to all our 

 efforts at imitation, and the best way to do this is 

 to record the experiences which all who throw the 

 fly over salmon, trout, or grayling (if they observe 

 as they should observe when at the river side) must 

 necessarily acquire, for the benefit of their brother 

 fly-fishers ; thus many a wrinkle might be registered 

 whereby the fisherman may still hope to keep the 

 upper hand. 1 



1 There can be no better means of recording facts and 

 experiences than by the "Fishing Gazette," which is pub- 

 lished weekly, and is a most excellent channel of communi- 

 cation between fishermen of all denominations. 



