Salmon-fishing — Catching the Fish. 131 



straining power of the line, tending to hold it back; and 

 third, the vibratory motion of the tip of the rod. The 

 result is that the fly describes an arc of a circle of which 

 the tip of the rod is the centre and the line the radius, 

 and that it travels this path by a succession of impulses 

 and halts, timed by the rate of vibration of the tip of 

 the rod. When the fly moves, its motion draws the wings 

 and hackle together; when it halts, they expand. Thus 

 the parts mentioned seem to open and close something 

 like an umbrella, and a very lifelike and attractive ap- 

 pearance is given to the fly. 



This is the usual, and perhaps the most effective method 

 of displaying a salmon-fly. Some, however, allow the cur- 

 rent to swing the fly steadily through its orbit, omitting 

 altogether to vibrate the tip, while others impart a rapid 

 quiver to the rod, both of which methods are at times 

 successful. Indeed, when a particular fish has been lo- 

 cated upon the capture of which the angler has set his 

 heart, all these methods may be tried in succession with 

 profit. " If one thing don't work, try another," is the 

 angler's golden rule. The order in which they are enu- 

 ra^erated suggests my opinion of the relative merit of 

 these different systems. 



When the current has swept the fly until the line 

 begins to approach a right-angle with the rod, the tip 

 may be swung down stream and in toward the bank. The 

 centre of motion is thus changed, and the fly follows a 

 new course until the time for a new cast arrives. But per- 

 haps a distinct enunciation of the object in view will not 

 only be more easily remembered than specific directions, 

 but will be also much more elastic and adaptable to local 

 circumstances and conditions than any hard-and-fast rules. 



