urite turkey wings specially dressed for this
expedition by my friend Wright, of Annan, and resolved to fulfil my
promise of giving them a trial without further delay. The name of the
fly of my first choice is, I believe, the Border Fancy; the brown
turkey wing showed well in the water, and the irregular mingling of
lemon, red, and black of the pig's wool, relieved by a band of silver
twist, made altogether a very attractive lure. The boat was crossing
diagonally to our course, and I was leisurely getting out line, when a
trout plucked at the fly. I saw him, as it were, knocked aside rudely,
and shall always believe that it was intentionally done by the grilse,
which immediately fastened to the fly, and was duly netted on shore.
Within twenty minutes the same fly rose and landed me a salmon. I
rechristened this fly the Wullie, and determined after that evening's
work was done to preserve it for copying. King log, however,
interfered with my well-meant intentions. A stick of pine by and by
feloniously shot round a corner of rock unawares, and ere I could
recover the cast the fly was embedded in the butt of it, and there was
a quick smash. In what remote part of the earth will the Wullie be
next found--or will it become the adornment of a permanent waterlog
without leaving the river of its birthplace?

The fish which I have caught to this date, fishing about twenty hours
during the whole week (including Sunday night, when, after my sea
journey and long carriage drive from Christiansand, I went out at eight
o'clock, caught seven trout, and afterwards read a chapter of _Shandon
Bells_ under an apple-tree at half-past ten at night in good daylight)
have been curiously uniform in weights. The salmon were 10 1/2 lb., 10
1/4 lb., and 10 lb.; the grilse 3 1/2 lb., 3 1/4 lb., 3 lb., 3 1/2 lb.,
and 3 lb.

As a contrast to these hot days, let us arrive at the doings of a wet
week, of which most travellers in the country get more or less
experience.

When you read in your guide-book "The climate of the west coast is
usually mild, being influenced by the Atlantic and the Gulf Stream,
which impinges upon it," you will, having the ordinary experiences of
this vale of tears, not omit the mackintoshes from your baggage. It
may be, as is set forth a little farther down, that July and August are
the best months for this part of Norway; but there is never any
trusting that Atlantic and Gulf Stream. Yet here we are at the end of