360 NOTES ON PISH AND FISHING. 



men is that they never are, or never seem to be, weary of 

 the longest day's fishing, however unproductive of sport 

 it may be. One would have thought that tbey would be 

 as sick of fishing as a confectioner is of tarts and sweet- 

 meats, or a boy of his Latin grammer, or a pedagogue of 

 instruction. The contrary, however, is, or seems to be, 

 the case. They never, with few exceptions, appear to be 

 weary of doing their best to give their customers the 

 opportunity of getting the best day's sport possible. 

 They will stick to a swim all day long if you like, sug- 

 gesting and trying all kinds of expedients to insure 

 success ; or they will " change the venue," accord- 

 ing to your caprice, and as often as you suggest, without 

 a murmur. They are hopeful when all the angler's hopes 

 are expended. They are in a word as indefatigable in 

 their endeavours and as inexhaustible in their resources 

 to perfect a day's fishing as they are appreciative of the 

 " grub," drink, and tobacco with which " customers " by 

 the unwritten law of the river are supposed to provide 

 them. The appetite and " drinketite " of a Thames 

 fisherman are proverbial. 



Hitherto I have spoken of the virtues of the Thames 

 fishermen. What shall I say of their faults and failings ? 

 As a rule they have none but such as are common to 

 humanity. Here and there you may meet with one who 

 does not come up to the high standard which my long ex- 

 perience assigns to them as a class. Here and there you 

 may come upon an idler and shuffler, who shirks getting 

 up early in the morning, and constantly betrays a wish 

 that the day was at an end, who likes as little trouble as 

 possible, and implies all kinds of objections to changing 

 the punt to another swim or rigging up fresh tackle for 



