276 SPORTS AND ANECDOTES. 



sight of this if he chances to be a fisherman is often 

 .too much for him. I have no doubt but that he and 

 the devil have a struggle over the beautiful golden 

 feather, but in the end Paddy has to succumb, and 

 if a chance offers he will often, I am sorry and con- 

 strained to admit, prig it prigging and stealing 

 though somewhat related are not the same things. 

 " Bedad, and you've scutched your fly, yer anner," 

 says Paddy. " Sure the tappen's gone, and was it 

 not mysilf that hard it crack when yer anner made 

 that lang cast. Ah ! that's a great pity now. Sure 

 that was a grand tappen as iver I sade. Ah ! that's 

 a great pity intirely. Sure yer anner'll be having 

 another fly like that, and I'll jist put it on for yer." 

 Such little peccadilloes sometimes occur, and as they 

 have happened more than once to myself I can vouch 

 for their authenticity, and I have no doubt others that 

 have fished in Ireland can tell the same tale. 



