the following discourse; and that, if he be an honest angler, the East wind may never blow when he goes a fishing!"

The winter months, for the most part, produce little or no sport, but they afford a good opportunity of re-fitting old tackle and providing new. Occasionally, when the weather is unseasonably mild, a little may be done, especially in small shallow brooks. The old sportsman, however, rarely turns out, well knowing that none but the smallest fish shew themselves, and even these, except in rivers on the coast, seldom if ever in season. In Wales, where probably as good fishing as any in Britain is to be had, some of the small mountain lakes are the first to produce fine fish. I speak of trout, which by the way I shall keep in view more particularly throughout, both because he is more generally known than any other, and because he requires the nicest dexterity of the art to catch him.

The artificial fly, which undoubtedly constitutes the most elegant as well as the most delightful part of this fascinating sport, will be of small service until late in March, inasmuch as, up to this time, "the Monarch of the Brook" will have scarcely ventured from his winter quarters. The flies as yet seen are these:

A fly with four wings, which comes out in February.

The Cowdung, which is too well known to need description. The Blue Dun, and the March Brown.

The first of these is made with wings from the short side-feather out of the tail of the cock pheasant, selecting them from the but of the quill, where the colour ap

proaches nearly a grey: the body of brown silk, ribbed with some of a lighter colour; legs to correspond; hook small.

The Blue Dun is a beautiful little fly, which makes its appearance about the beginning of March, and continues until late in April. It is very hardy, and will remain on the water during the whole of the day in the coldest weather. Fish take it very greedily, especially when the Brown is not out. I have observed a slight difference in the wings of some of them; possibly it may be a distinction of sex, for, as they correspond precisely in size and shape, they are unquestionably one and the same fly. It is not easily imitated; as from the beautiful tint on its wing, it is scarcely possible to get a feather with fibres sufficiently fine and glossy. The starling's wing comes nearest to it: care must, however, be taken not to make the wings too full, i. e. with too much feather. One or two turns of fur from a hare's ear will make the legs; the body thence to the tail to be closely whipped over with peacock's harle stripped of its fibre. Make it very small and neat.

The March Brown (though so called) seldom makes its appearance until April, unless the weather be very mild with a warm sun, and then only for an hour or so at noon. It is a magnificent fly, and infinitely more destructive than any other. The directions which have usually been given for making it would produce anything but the right sort. I should recommend the following method. For wings, take a feather from the but of the wing of a pea-fowl poult, from three to five months old: this will be

found to bear an exact resemblance to the natural colour. The legs are made with a feather from the rump of a snipe just above the tail; give it two turns close to the wings. Work the body with brown silk well waxed (cobbler's wax); rib it with pale brown or rather amber-coloured silk (not waxed). With regard to flies, I consider this, with a very few others which will be mentioned hereafter, to be sufficient for all seasons of the year. Many that come on are hardly worth imitating, and many which cannot be employed to any purpose. The Stone Fly, for instance, which, to be anything like nature, must be at least an inch long. As to throwing a fly which carries so much carcase as this, a man may as well fish with a cricket bat at the end of his line.

Το your reel-line attach a footline, consisting of two or three lengths of twisted hair, tapering from six to four or even three hairs; to this add four feet of

fine gut, more being apt to double back when thrown against or on a side wind. Use two flies-say a Blue Dun for dropper, a Brown for leader, about three feet apart. Before you commence throwing, separate the wings of your fly by pressing your thumb strongly on them, so as to keep them nearly at a right angle. This will not only cause it to fall more lightly, but will give it generally a more natural appearance. The fly should be allowed to rest a second or two when it first alights, as, from the line having acquired a slight degree of twist in the action of throwing, it will be gradually unfolding itself, gaining thereby a very natural motion, and will not fail to entice the fish, if within reach. The first drop of the fly is decidedly the best, provided the angler has judgment to know where to throw, and his colour be right.

March 1832.

HALCYON,

WE have been rather profuse in our hunting pictorial subjects this month; but as the season is fast drawing to a close, and our Artists are about to commence on sports of a lighter nature, we were determined to mark with some strength the finish to this most manly, always fashion able, heroic, and truly national sport, for at least another summer. The brown horse CURRICLE, forming the subject of our second plate, was got by Trentham, out of a Sister to Gay, and bred by a late Duke of Richmond. As a race horse he was considered remarkably speedy, but neither shone in carrying weight nor running a distance. As a hunter, however, he possessed all the three rare qualities

quite to perfection. Though this may appear a little paradoxical, yet it is not the less true, as every man knows who is a judge of pace, and has a variety of horses, with patience to wait till he can find out the hidden mystery which almost every good horse possesses.

Stephen Goodall, the heaviest servant to hounds in the kingdom, rode CURRICLE for many years, and looking at the man-weighing something nearly twenty stone, a daring, bold, straightforward rider, and generally in a place during every part of the chase at which many of the light weights might occasionally look, but few imitate-this will prove that the powers of CUR