A HOLIDAY IN DEVONSHIRE. 



palmer, used for grayling in the Wharfe, and given me a 

 year before by its author, a keeper at Bolton Abbey, found 

 me a couple of brace of trout in the Double Dart when the 

 local flies utterly failed ; and on the same stream I met 

 a youthful rustic with a dozen and a half of nice fish (say 

 averaging four ounces), taken against law, of course, with a 

 live "vern-web," by which name the fern-fly is known in 

 those parts. 



The upper streams being very small and broken, the 

 artificial flies used are, as is not uncommon in mountain 

 streams, much larger than could be ventured upon in 

 broader and deeper rivers whose flow is more placid. It is 

 only once now and then that the Dartmoor angler encum- 

 bers himself with wading materials or landing net. A 

 •cheap day ticket may be purchased at the Duchy Hotel, 

 entitling the holder to fish any or all of the Dartmoor 

 streams. The Mayfly is a rare visitor, if not a complete 

 stranger, to Dartmoor, and I complete my catalogue of 

 items by a bare reference to Cherrybrook, which is a very 

 favourite stream, and which is probably the only one in 

 England that may be fished in a north-east wind. 



Beginning at Two Bridges, fish the West Dart to the spot 

 where the East Dart, amidst beautiful wooded scenery, joins. 

 In the higher land, far above the meeting of the waters (Dart- 

 meet), the two Darts run through unadulterated moorland ; 

 no bushes take a mean advantage of your carelessness, no 

 trees are near. The outlook, if it were not so picturesque in 

 its wild ruggedness, would be inexpressibly dreary ; and 

 to many visitors very likely Dartmoor is a howling wilder- 

 ness, fit only for convicts, anglers, lunatics and — artists. It 



