WEEKS IN WORCESTERSHIRE 95 
was easy. Although the fish turned the scale at 
13 0z., and was in prime condition, with the 
famous cucumber odour when landed, yet it 
showed no fight to speak of, which was strange 
for an inhabitant of Worcestershire or Shropshire. 
Happily, this grayling proved quite the exception, 
for the others fought finely, as the autumn wore 
on, and as the winter frosts invigorated their 
condition. 
In Tenbury, the town in the orchard, as it 
was royally described over eighty years ago, 
anglers have regard for the grayling, and on the 
table they esteem it highly, preferring it apparently 
to trout. But last autumn the Teme was low; 
indeed, our friend the oldest inhabitant declared 
that not since 1864 had the water been so thin. 
Consequently, the grayling were not sporting 
much, as those homely Devon and Somerset folk 
say of their trout. Still, on most forenoons in 
mid-autumn they rose to the natural fly for a 
time, and again also an hour or so before sun- 
down. For the most part, however, they dis- 
regarded the chance of excess rations offered by 
artificial flies, and continued to do so until 
a thorough cleansing of the water occurred. 
Broughton’s fancy, pale watery dun, green insect, 
red tag are good dry flies, but, although grayling 
like low water, when it had been low so long 
it was all against the angler. One conviction 
which I gained on this trip was that, however 
late you may strike your rising trout, you can 
scarcely be too quick for grayling. The second 
