180 NOTES ON FISH AND PISHING. 



own private gastronomic views of him to the effect that 

 he is not to be compared with any fairly good trout, though 

 I willingly acquit him of that " muddiness" which so dis- 

 tastefully attaches more or less to most of our fresh-water 

 fish. 



Walton says that " all that write of the Umber declare 

 him very medicinable," and quotes Gresner as an authority 

 to the effect that the fat of the fish, " being set, with a 

 little honey, a day or two in the sun, in a little glass, is 

 very excellent against redness or swarthiness, or anything 

 that breeds in the eyes." Here is a hint for ladies. 



I shall never forget "my first grayling," though I 

 record his capture to my shame. In the days of " hot 

 youth, when Plancus was consul," two friends and myself, 

 taking advantage of the few days' Whitsuntide vacation 

 at Oxford, determined on a visit to Winchester for fly- 

 fishing. We arrived at the old cathedral city on the 

 Saturday evening, "with hopes high burning" of the 

 sport which was in store for us on the Monday, and 

 eventually went to bed and enjoyed blissful visions of 

 any numbers of speckled four-pounders attaching them- 

 selves to " apple-greens " and other cunningly-devised 

 flies from the hand of Mr. Pottle. Of course, as decent 

 young Churchmen and Christians, it was taken for granted 

 on Sunday morning among us that we would go to 

 the cathedral service at eleven. But one of the party 

 did not go. It had been whispered in his ear by an 

 evil spirit, more irresistible than any which beset and 

 were discomfited by "the good St. Anthony," that it 

 was a pity to lose Sunday without casting a fly, especially 

 as the biggest fish were always taken on that day, accord- 

 ing to a very old tradition. He forthwith began to make 



