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a fish, let him do it in his own way; if he is not, try to find a better man, or go home. Although so much depends upon his skill, you will rarely derive much comfort from asking him for his opinion. If you have had bad sport, and say to him, 'Which way shall we go now?' he will most probably say, 'Where you please, sir.' If you ask him what he thinks of the weather, he is very likely to say that last week (when you were in London) it was 'famous 'weather for fishing;' or he will perhaps say, that he expects that next week (when you are to be at home again) it will be very good. I never knew one of these men who was satisfied with the present hour.

XXXIII.

Do not leave off fishing early in the evening because your friends are tired. After a bright day, the largest fish are to be caught by whipping between sunset and dark. Even, however, in these precious moments, you will not have good sport if you continue throwing after you have whipped your fly off. Pay attention to this; and if you have any doubt after dusk, you may easily ascertain the point, by drawing the end of the line quickly through your hand,—particularly if you do not wear gloves.

XXXIV.

No attempt is here made to give directions as to the best seasons for cutting the woods which are

fittest for the making of rods, or as to the mode of preparing them; because the worst rod which is kept for sale at the present day is probably as good as the best of the first few dozens which any amateur is likely to make for himself.

XXXV.

Lastly-When you have got hold of a good fish, which is not very tractable, if you are married, gentle reader, think of your wife, who, like the fish, is united to you by very tender ties, which can only end with her death, or her going into weeds. If you are single, the loss of the fish, when you thought the prize your own, may remind you of some more serious disappointment.

Rod Cottage, River-side, 31st May, 1829.

R. P.

POSTSCRIPT.

I FORGOT to say, that, if a friend should invite you to his house, saying that he will give you an excellent day's fishing,' you ought not to doubt his kind intention, but you certainly ought not to feel very sure that you will have good sport. Provide yourself for such a visit with every thing which you may want, as if you were going into an uninhabited

country. Above all things, take a landing-net with you. Your friend's (if he has one) is probably torn and without a handle, being a sort of reticulated shovel for taking fish out of the well of a punt. Take warning from the following story.

Mr. Jones and Mr. Thompson went last week to the house of Mr. Jenkins, for a few days' fishing. They were received with the utmost kindness and hospitality by Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins, and on the following morning after breakfast, the gardener (who was on that day called the fisherman) was desired to attend them to the river. Thompson, who had a landing-net of his own, begged to have a boy to carry it. Jack was immediately sent for, and he appeared in top boots, with a livery hat and waistcoat.

Arrived at the water-side, Thompson gave his gnat basket to the boy, and told him to go on the other side of the river, and look on the grass for a few May-flies. Jack said that he did not exactly know what May-flies were, and that the river could not be crossed without going over a bridge a mile off. Thompson is a patient man, so he began to fish with his landing-net for a few May-flies, and after he had necessarily frightened away many fish, he succeeded in catching six or seven May-flies.

Working one of them with the blowing line much to his own satisfaction, and thinking to extract a compliment from his attendant, he said, 'They do not often fish here in this way-do they?' 'No,'

said the boy, they drags wi' a net; they did zo the day afore yesterday.'

Our angler, after much patient fishing, hooked a fine trout; and having brought him carefully to the bank, he said, Now, my lad, don't be in a hurry, but get him out as soon as you can.' Jack ran to the water's edge, threw down the net, and seizing the line with both hands, of course broke it immediately.

Nothing daunted, Thompson now mended his tackle and went on fishing; and when he thought,

good easy man,' that the very moment for hooking another trout was arrived, there was a great splash just above his fly ;-and the boy exclaiming, Damn 'un, I miss'd 'un,' instantly threw a second brick-bat at a rat which was crossing the river.

Mine host, in order to accommodate his friends, dined early; and when they went after dinner to enjoy the evening fishing, they found that the miller had turned off the water, and that the river was nearly dry, so they went back to tea.

R. P.

TREE PLANTING.

So much has been lately said respecting Sir Henry Stewart's method of transplanting large trees, that I am induced to mention a method I have adopted in some of his Majesty's parks, which has been attended with great success, and which, I believe, will be found to be infinitely cheaper, and more generally to be depended on, than the plan of Sir H. Stewart. I tried the experiment on rather a large scale this spring (1831), in Bushy Park, and under every disadvantage, as I was not able to begin the work till the second week in March, and there was rather a long continuance of cold dry weather after the plants had been removed. Of some hundreds of trees which were taken up and replanted, not one had died, though many of them were of a large size, and some of them laurels from ten to twelve feet in height, showing their blossom at the time they were transplanted, which was not at all checked by the operation.

The plan I adopted is as follows. In the first place, the earth must be excavated at some distance from the tree, leaving all the principal fibres, and the earth adhering to them, in a compact ball, under

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