having caught three brace of Trouts, I will tell you a short tale as we walk towards our breakfast. A scholar, a preacher I should say, that was to preach to procure the approbation of a parish that he might be their lecturer, had got from his fellowpupil the copy of a sermon that was first preached with great commendation by him that composed it; and though the borrower of it preached it, word for word, as it was at first, yet it was utterly disliked as it was preached by the second to his congregation, which the sermon-borrower complained of to the lender of it: and was thus answered: "I lent you indeed, my fiddle, but not my fiddle-stick; for you are to know that every one cannot make music with my words, which are fitted for my own mouth." And so, my scholar, you are to know, that as the ill-pronunciation or ill-accenting of words in a sermon spoils it, so the ill-carriage of your line, or not fishing even to a foot in a right place, makes you lose your labour and you are to know, that though you have my fiddle, that is, my very rod and tacklings with which you see I catch fish, yet you have not my fiddle-stick, that is, you yet have not skill to know how to carry your hand and line, nor how to guide it to a right place and this must be taught you; for you are to remember, I told you Angling is an art, either by practice or a long observation, or both. But take this for a rule, When you fish for a Trout with a worm, let your line have so much, and not more lead than will fit the stream in which you fish; that is to say, more in a great troublesome stream than in a smaller that is quieter; as near as may be, so much as will sink the bait to the bottom, and keep it still in motion, and not more.

:

But now, let's say grace, and fall to breakfast. What say you, scholar, to the providence of an old angler? Does not this meat taste well? and was not this place well chosen to eat it? for this sycamore-tree will shade us from the sun's heat.

VENATOR. All excellent good; and my stomach excellent good too. And I now remember, and find that true which devout Lessius* says, "that poor men, and those that fast often, have much more pleasure in eating than rich men and gluttons, that always feed before their stomachs are empty of their last meat, and call for more; for by that means they rob themselves of that pleasure that hunger brings to poor men." And I do *Leonard Lessius, a very learned Jesuit, professor of divinity in the College of Jesuits at Louvain: he was born at Antwerp, 1554; and became very famous for his skill in divinity, civil law, mathematics, physic, and history: he wrote several theological tracts, and a book entitled Hygiasticon, seu vera ratio valetudinis bonæ & vita ad extremam senectutem conservanda. From this tract of Lessius it is probable the passage in the text is cited. He died 1623.-H.

T

seriously approve of that saying of yours, "that you had rather be a civil, well-governed, well-grounded, temperate, poor angler, than a drunken lord :" but I hope there is none such. However, I am certain of this, that I have been at many very costly dinners that have not afforded me half the content that this has done; for which I thank God and you.

And now, good master, proceed to your promised direction for making and ordering my artificial fly.

PISCATOR. My honest scholar, I will do it; for it is a debt due unto you by my promise. And because you shall not think yourself more engaged to me than indeed you really are, I will freely give you such directions as were lately given to me by an ingenious brother of the angle, an honest man, and a most excellent flyfisher."

You are to note, that there are twelve kinds of artificial-made Flies, to angle with upon the top of the water. Note, by the way, that the fittest season of using these is in a blustering windy day, when the waters are so troubled that the natural fly cannot be seen, or rest upon them. The first is the dun-fly, in March: the body is made of dun wool; the wings, of the partridge's feathers. The second is another dun-fly: the body of black wool; and the wings made of the black drake's feathers, and of the feathers under his tail. The third is the stone-fly, in April: the body is made of black wool; made yellow under the wings and under the tail, and so made with wings of the drake. The fourth is the ruddy-fly, in the beginning of May: the body made of red wool, wrapt about with black silk; and the feathers are the wings of the drake; with the feathers of a red capon also, which hang dangling on his sides next to the tail. The fifth is the yellow or greenish fly, in May likewise the body made of yellow wool; and the wings made of the red cock's hackle or tail. The sixth is the black-fly, in May also: the body made of black wool, and lapt about with the herle of a peacock's tail; the wings are made of the wings of a brown capon, with his blue feathers in his head. The seventh is the sad yellow-fly, in June: the body is made of

VARIATION.

9 And because you shall not think yourself more engaged to me than indeed you really are, therefore I will tell you freely, I find Mr Thomas Barker, a gentleman that has spent much time and money in Angling deal so judiciously and freely in a little book of his of Angling with a fly for a Trout, that I will give you his very directions without much variation.-1st edit. Then follow Barker's instructions, differing little from them as printed in a subsequent part of the text. The "excellent fly-fisher" to whom Walton alludes, was Leonard Mascall, from whose "Booke of Fishing with Hooke and Line, &c., 4to, Lond. 1600," the ensuing list of flies is copied verbatim.

black wool, with a yellow list on either side; and the wings taken off the wings of a buzzard, bound with black braked hemp. The eighth is the moorish-fly: made with the body of duskish wool; and the wings made of the blackish mail of the drake. The ninth is the tawny-fly, good until the middle of June: the body made of tawny wool; the wings made contrary one against the other, made of the whitish mail of the wild drake. The tenth is the wasp-fly, in July: the body made of black wool, lapt about with yellow silk; the wings made of the feathers of the drake, or of the buzzard. The eleventh is the shell-fly, good in mid-July: the body made of greenish wool, lapt about with the herle of a peacock's tail; and the wings made of the wings of the buzzard. The twelfth is the dark drake-fly, good in August: the body made with black wool, lapt about with black silk; his wings are made with the mail of the black drake, with a black head. Thus have you a jury of flies, likely to betray and condemn all the Trouts in the river.

I shall next give you some other directions for fly-fishing, such as are given by Mr Thomas Barker,* a gentleman that hath spent much time in fishing: but I shall do it with a little variation.

First let your rod be light, and very gentle: I take the best

A notice of Barker will be found in the Memoir of Walton. The following extract occurs in his "Art of Angling: "

"My lord sent to me, at sun-going-down, to provide him a good dish of Trouts against the next morning, by six o'clock. I went to the door to see how the wanes of the air were like to prove. I returned answer, that I doubted not, God willing, but to be provided at the time appointed. I went presently to the river, and it proved very dark: I threw out a line of three silks and three hairs twisted, for the uppermost part; and a line of two hairs and two silks twisted, for the lower part-with a good large hook. I baited my hook with two lob-worms, the four ends hanging as meet as I could guess them in the dark. I fell to angle. It proved very dark, so that I had good sport; angling with the lob-worms as I do with the flies, on the top of the water: You shall hear the fish rise at the top of the water; then, you must loose a slack line down to the bottom, as nigh as you can guess; then hold your line straight, feeling the fish bite; give time, there is no doubt of losing the fish, for there is not one amongst twenty but doth -gorge the bait: the least stroke you can strike fastens the hook, and makes the fish sure, letting the fish take a turn or two; you may take him up with your hands. The night began to alter and grow somewhat lighter; I took off the lob-worms, and set to my rod a white palmer-fly made of a large hook; I had good sport for the time, until it grew lighter; so I took off the white palmer, and set to a red palmer, made of a large hook; I had good sport until it grew very light; then I took off the red palmer, and set to a black palmer; I had good sport, and made up the dish of fish. So I put up my tackles, and was with my lord at his time appointed for the service.

"These three flies, with the help of the lob-worms, serve to angle all the year for the night; observing the times-as I have showed you-in this night-work; the white fly for darkness, the red fly in medio, and the black fly for lightness. This is the true experience for Angling in the night; which is the surest angling of all, and killeth the greatest Trouts. Your lines may be strong, but must not be longer than your rod."

Upon this passage, Mr Daniel observes: "Night-fishing with a fly is best from May to the end of August; but the largest fish are caught in the latter month. Trout will take in the dark nights of any of the subsequent months, provided they be soft and calm."-Field Sports, ii. 290.

to be of two pieces. And let not your line exceed especially for three or four links next to the hook, I say, not exceed three or four hairs at the most; though you may fish a little stronger above, in the upper part of your line: but if you can attain to angle with one hair, you shall have more rises, and catch more fish. Now you must be sure not to cumber yourself with too long a line, as most do. And before you begin to angle, cast to have the wind on your back; and the sun, if it shines, to be before you; and to fish down the stream; and carry the point or top of your rod downward, by which means the shadow of yourself, and rod too, will be the least offensive to the fish; for the sight of any shade amazes the fish, and spoils your sport, of which you must take great care.

In the middle of March, till which time a man should not in honesty catch a Trout; or in April, if the weather be dark, or a little windy or cloudy; the best fishing is with the palmer-worm, of which I last spoke to you; but of these there be divers kinds, or at least of divers colours: these and the May-fly are the ground of all fly-angling: which are to be thus made :—

First, you must arm your hook with the line, in the inside of it: then take your scissors, and cut so much of a brown mallard's feather as, in your own reason, will make the wings of it, you having, withal, regard to the bigness or littleness of your hook; then lay the outmost part of your feather next to your hook; then the point of your feather next the shank of your hook, and having so done, whip it three or four times about the hook with the same silk with which your hook was armed; and having made the silk fast, take the hackle of a cock or capon's neck, or a plover's top, which is usually better: take off the one side of the feather, and then take the hackle, silk or crewel, gold or silver thread; make these fast at the bent of the hook, that is to say, below your arming; then you must take the hackle, the silver or gold thread, and work it up to the wings, shifting or still removing your finger as you turn the silk about the hook, and still looking, at every stop or turn, that your gold, or what materials soever you make your fly of, do lie right and neatly; and if you find they do so, then when you have made the head, make all fast: and then work your hackle up to the head, and make that fast: and then, with a needle or pin, divide the wing into two; and then, with the arming silk, whip it about crossways betwixt the wings: and then with your thumb you must turn the point of the feather towards the bent of the hook; and then work three or four times about

the shank of the hook; and then view the proportion; and if all be neat, and to your liking, fasten.

I confess, no direction can be given to make a man of a dull capacity able to make a fly well and yet I know this, with a little practice, will help an ingenious angler in a good degree. But to see a fly made by an artist in that kind,' is the best teaching to make it. And, then, an ingenious angler may walk by the river, and mark what flies fall on the water that day; and catch one of them, if he sees the Trouts leap at a fly of that kind and then having always hooks ready-hung with him, and having a bag also always with him, with bear's hair, or the hair of a brown or sad-coloured heifer, hackles of a cock or capon, several coloured silk and crewel to make the body of the fly, the feathers of a drake's head, black or brown sheep's wool, or hog's wool, or hair, thread of gold and of silver; silk of several colours, especially sad-coloured, to make the fly's head and there be also other coloured feathers, both of little birds and of speckled fowl:

VARIATION.] 1 by another.-1st edit.

*

I

The Author not having particularly enumerated the Materials necessary for Flymaking, it will not be improper to do it here. For Dubbing, you must be provided with bear's hair of divers colours; as grey, dun, light and dark coloured, bright brown and that which shines; also camel's hair, dark, light, and of a colour between both: badger's hair, or fur: spaniel's hair from behind the ear, light and dark brown, blackish, and black: hog's down, plucked from under the throat, and other soft places, and of these colours, black, red, whitish, and sandy; other colours you may get dyed at a dyer's: seal's fur is to be had at the trunkmaker's; get this also dyed of the colours of cow's and calf's hair, in all the different shades, from light to the darkest brown; you will then never need cow's or calf's hair, both which are harsh, and will never work kindly, nor lie handsomely get also mohairs, black, blue, purple, white, violet, yellow, and orange: camlets, both hair and worsted, blue, yellow, dun, light and dark brown, red, violet, purple, black, horse-flesh, pink, and orange colours. Some recommend the hair of abortive colts and calves; but seal's fur, dyed as above, is much better.

Turkey carpet will furnish excellent dubbing: untwist the yarn, and pick out the wool, separating the different colours.

Some use for dubbing, barge-sail; but these sails are made of sheep's wool, which soaks in the water, and soon becomes very heavy: however, get of this as many different shades as you can: and have seal's fur and hog-wool dyed to match them; which, being more turgid, stiff, and light, are in most cases to be preferred to worsted, crewels, and other kinds of wool; hog-wool is best for large, and seal's fur for small flies.

Get also furs of the squirrel, particularly from his tail; fox-cub, from the tail where it is downy and of an ash-colour; an old fox; an old otter; otter-cub; badger; fulimart or filmert; from the neck of a hare where it is of the colour of withered fern; and, above all, the yellow fur of the martern, from off the gills or spots under the jaws. These, and almost every other kind of fur, are got at the farrier's.

Hackles, the long slender feathers on the neck and near the tail of a cock, are very useful in fly-making; be careful that they are not too rank, which they are when the fibres are more than half an inch long; be provided with these of the following coloursred, dun, yellowish, white, orange, and black; and whenever you meet with a cock of the game breed, whose hackles are of a strong brown-red, never fail to procure some: but, observe that the feathers of a cock chicken, and of the Bantam cock are too downy and weak to stand erect after they are once wet.

Feathers are absolutely necessary for the wings and other parts of flies: get therefore feathers from the wild mallard, or drake; from the partridge, especially those red ones in the tail; from a cock-pheasant's breast and tail; from the wings of a blackbird, a brown hen, a starling, a jay, a landrail, a throstle, a field-fare, and a water coot; from