XXXV 



OF GRAYLINGS, LARGE AND SMALL 



I AM in the third day of a snuffling cold. 

 It is raining. It always has been raining. 

 It will always rain. Out on the road a child (a 

 Bunting grandchild or great-grandchild, I think) 

 runs backwards and forwards, making a noise like 

 the baby of a locomotive. 



I stand in need of a shave. I am a failure. I 

 have no friends. I do not want to go out and 

 fish and my wife will not let me. I cannot taste 

 the tobacco I am smoking. Perhaps I should say 

 that I can taste it and that it is very nauseous. 

 I have to force myself to smoke it. 



I will write about graylings. 



I will most venomously abuse them. 



There are two kinds of grayling, big graylings, 

 and little graylings. And first, of the big kind. 



The big graylings, then, rise best during those 

 months when it is unlawful to kill them. In June 

 you will catch many big graylings on the May-fly 

 you throw for trout. When you have hooked 

 them they take an enormous time to tire out and 



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