12 OBSERVATIONS 



Secondl}^ the wader, who is but ankle deep, 

 has an advantage over any angler on the bank : 

 and by very moderate wading, many scours and 

 shallows may be fished with success, where, in 

 bright summer M^eather, nothing could be done 

 from the banks : for example, in the clearer parts 

 of the Dove, and other bright streams. 



Thirdly, in brooks, where fish are looking 

 up-stream for the flies and other food which 

 float down to them, good sport is to be had in 

 bright weather by walking up the middle, and 

 casting either fly or worm before you, especially 

 where the water is broken, either by running 

 over stones, or by tumbling over ledges of rocks, 

 &c., into little pools and basins. And observe, 

 that fish cannot see behind them ; all optics for- 

 bid it, especially when they are not looking out 

 sharply. 



Taste and Smell. 



It seemed almost impossible to devise experi- 

 ments relative to the sense of smell in fishes, 

 which would ofi'er the prospect of satisfactory 

 results, without depriving the animal of sight ; 

 the cruelty of which operation deterred me from 

 prosecuting the inquiry. 



Observations on the taste of fishes are involved 

 in still greater difficulty. I once threw upon 

 the water, from my hut (by blowing them 



