320 NOTES ON FISH AND FISHING. 



an aversion to fishing altogether. But she soon learnt the 

 art of a sharp but gentle stroke, and, what is more, she 

 soon became fascinated with the amusement. Eight 

 dozen and a half of gudgeon were our reward for about 

 three hours' fishing beneath the lovely beech woods below 

 the lock ; and of these two dozen and a half were her 

 share of the sport — a pretty fair performance for a be- 

 ginner. I have already had my say about angling for ladies 

 and ladies for angling, but I must press upon the fair sex 

 the claims and charms of gudgeon-fishing — I mean fishing 

 for aqueous gobios, and not for the biped " gudgeons " 

 mentioned in the stanza just above quoted from Gay. It 

 is a very " gentle art " for them to practise ; " gentle " at 

 least when they have mastered it. I cannot expect, 

 judging from my experience of those whom "Mrs. Brown" 

 calls " fieldmales/' that they will ever be very patient or 

 undemonstrative anglers, as we men are, for though they 

 are credited, and I believe justly, with bearing bodily pain 

 more quietly than we do, they cannot for the life of them 

 refrain from giving marked demonstrations indicative of 

 their mental sensations, and never will. The capture of 

 a gudgeon cannot fail to elicit a long speech and explana- 

 tion, accompanied by gesticulations of joy, while, on the 

 other hand, the loss of one must be accompanied with very 

 audible lamentation and the wringing of the hands of 

 vexation. Of one of the sex it was written, — 



" She never complains, but her silence implies 

 The composure of settled distress." 



It will never be so in gudgeon-fishing by ladies ; and if 

 the little gobios were easily scared, there would not be a 

 single fin left in the swim five minutes after the " pitch " 



