156 MOSTLY ABOUT TROUT 



the banks of wild daffodils and the notes of 

 birds. May, June and well into July by a 

 chalk-stream, fishing dry-fly and loving every 

 minute of the long days and the glory of the 

 water-meadows and copses, the birds in full 

 chorus. Maybe it will be a wet July, and the 

 weather reports will tell of heavy rain in Scot- 

 land. Then will come thoughts of sea-trout 

 rising in streams clearing after a spate. A few 

 weeks in Scotland, and then, choosing calm 

 weather, a trip by sea from Aberdeen or Wick 

 to the Shetland Islands. Sea-trout again, but 

 this time fishing from a boat in the clear sea 

 water of the sheltering " voes," casting a long 

 line with a small rod and sinking the flies, or 

 perhaps in one of the freshwater lochs. Then 

 back to the South-country chalk-streams for 

 the grayling in October and November, perhaps 

 part of December ; and then the pike again. 

 What a year, and what a variety of waters ! 

 flowing, gliding, running, rushing and rippling ; 

 breaking, perhaps, if we should get a strong 

 blow into one of those Shetland seawater 

 voes or exposed freshwater lochs. But here 

 we are in October after the grayling. A bigger 

 rod than the little greenheart I use in the small 

 dry-fly stream I fish for trout, where every- 

 thing is in miniature excepting the trout 



