SEPTEMBER, 1892. 



XIV. WITCHDORTER'S BREAM FLOAT, THE PRINCIPLE OF 

 ITS CONSTRUCTION, AND ITS TRIAL "SwiM." 



WITCH DORTER'S bream float ! Mr. Hopper refers to 

 the one he specially built for his Trent side visit this 

 August By golly ! it is a float a regular eye-opener ; 

 its construction was talked over by Witchdortor and Mr. 

 Hopper and decided upon last July, but the "lines" upon 

 which it should be laid down were entirely due to the inventive 

 genius of the former, who got a special consignment of cork 

 over for the purpose. It was a proud day for Witch dorter 

 when he launched his float in all the glory of its red ochre on 

 the rippling waters of Dunham Dubbs. Witchdorter cast an 

 enquiring if somewhat anxious glance round at those in the 

 boat, hoping to draw forth favourable expressions of opinion 

 respecting his "bantling." The Commodore most truly said 

 he had never seen such a float, and Mr. Hopper thinks he 

 never had. The " old lady " wanted to know if Witchdorter 

 was joking " Was it really intended for a float, or was it a 

 large model of a newly contrived Trent Conservancy buoy ? " 

 Witchdorter's assurance that it was not only intended for a 

 fishing float but actually was one was very emphatic, and he 

 appealed to Mr. Hopper as an old angler to support him in his 

 statement that it was really a float. Mr. Hopper always has 

 due regard and a tender consideration for the feelings of his 

 angling friends (Witchdorter in particular), and therefore at 

 once stated his opinion to be that it was quite big enough to 

 be a float that it carried plenty of red paint to be a float in 

 fact he was sure it really was a float if only it would show the 

 usual and proper indication of a bite when appealed to by the 

 finny tribe below, but Mr. Hopper thought the fish would have 

 to be a tolerably sized plugger to " bob " the float, which is 

 the mode floats usually are affected when there is a bite. 

 Friend Brown said the float was a " bit large," but no 

 doubt it would be all right if it had a few ounces of 



