10 
A HANDY GUIDE TO 
them are already proficients in it. One recent con- 
vert among the fair sex has lamented publicly “that 
ten years of her life (dating of course from the time 
that she could wield a rod) had passed before she dis- 
covered ” its unsuspected delights. The art is indeed 
so delicate that ladies are peculiarly qualified to excel 
in it. In learning the art, certainly the “ back-hair ” 
may occasionally create some difficulty ; and it 
would, no doubt, be uncommonly inconvenient to 
have an artificial fly fasten itself in the “improver.” 
But if they practice the following lessons, where 
they will be free from the observation of the sterner 
sex, these little probable contretemps may be avoided 
or conquered without awkward embarrassments. 
It has struck me, then, that it might be opportune 
to offer a few hints that may be useful to many in 
their desire to become initiated into its successful 
practice. It is only for such that I write this Primer. 
An expert will learn nothing from it, nor does he 
indeed need to learn. But, looking back to my own 
days of ignorance of it, and to the great difficulties- 
which I had in mastering it, mainly by self-education, 
and sympathizing sincerely with the desire to learn 
the pleasing art, and rejoicing in the hope of the 
enjoyment the young disciple will derive from its 
practice if he will persevere in his attempts to learn 
it, I have thought that a little Primer upon it might 
be very acceptable to many anglers and would-be 
anglers, and practically useful to them to this end. 
Let me begin, then, by saying that, better than 
any of my hints, or even of the study of Mr. Hal- 
