COLOUR VARIATION 59 



almost continually lay under the hides, which were 

 constructed in the stream and covered with boards 

 — being, in fact, large troughs open at the lower 

 end so as to admit the fish, and staked within so as 

 to preserve them from being poached out — were of 

 a very black colour : this arose, no doubt, from the 

 privation of light. Sometimes I have seen them 

 lying on the shallows within a few yards of the 

 hide, where they still retained their black hue. I 

 caught with a minnow one of these dirty-looking 

 animals in the month of June last. He was not 

 only black in the back, so that he could be seen at 

 a considerable distance in the water, but was also 

 of a granulated inky cast on his sides and under- 

 neath : his resort was under a hide in comparative 

 darkness. He was not wasted, but of the same 

 proportions with his brighter companions. I con- 

 cluded, however, that from his African appearance 

 he would cut but a sorry figure at the table ; but 

 being about three-quarters of a pound, with no 

 promise of amendment, I bagged him notwith- 

 standing. As this was the first trout I took that 

 morning, he lay at the bottom of my basket. After 

 catching a few more lower down in the river, I 

 thought I would have another look at my swarthy 

 captive. I found him more praiseworthy than at 

 first ; for the upper side, which came in contact 

 with the other fish, became also bright, and of a 

 colour exactly similar to them, whilst the lower 

 side that touched the dry basket retained its 

 original dark hue ; but by turning that part of the 

 fish also towards the others, the whole trout after 

 a time became of a uniform bright colour, and was 



