THE FISHES IN THE RIVER HULL. 19 
larger fish are caught on gudgeon and minnows and the smaller 
ones on worm. ‘The trout possesses great powers of instinct, and 
in clear water he is very difficult to deceive. 1n overcoming this 
instinct by reason lies, in my opinion, the great charm of angling. 
Here are one or two instances. A trout is discovered feeding 
near the surface, the water being about two feet deep in the 
vicinity. The angler tries it in turn with the usual baits, worm, 
minnow, fly, etc., all of which it looks at, and thereat positively 
turns up its nose in disgust. In despair the angler catches a 
natural fly, and having impaled it on the hook, makes a cast with 
all the skill he possesses, landing it just on the spot when the 
curling eddies indicate the trout had risen the moment before. 
The fish rises at it immediately, with the only result that the fly 
is drowned ; the trout, evidently deceived at first, found out the 
trick before it was too late. The angler is about to give up and 
go to dinner—for he has spent some hours in trying to circumvent 
this wary old fish—when a bunch of floating weeds gives him an 
idea. He goes some distance up stream, and gathering some 
weeds, puts them in such a position that the stream will carry 
them down to the trout. Having done this with several 
consecutive bunches in order to accustom the trout to weeds 
floating down, he thinks the proper time has arrived to put his 
idea into execution. Having mounted a very small worm on the 
finest tackle procurable (without any float or sinker attached, 
which might arouse suspicion), he throws in another bunch of 
‘weeds some distance above the trout, and placing the bait on 
them, lets it float down over his hoped-for game. The worm is 
just overhanging the weeds. As soon as the floating fraud arrives 
at its intended destination, Mr. Trout accepts the invitation to 
dine, when a combat takes place, which ends in a result not in 
favour of the fish. The angler now goes to dinner with an 
increased appetite. An angler has been fishing in vain for a 
large trout which is feeding off the bottom about ten yards from 
the shore. At last, as Angler No. 1 appears to have abandoned 
the contest, Angler No. 2 comes up and asks Angler No. 1 if he 
may try. The permission 1s cheerfully granted, but the dis- 
appointed angler remarks that he does not think there is much 
chance of success. The new-comer carefully notices, by adjacent 
stones, etc., the exact position to an inch of thetrout. His next 
proceeding is at first sight a startling one—he picks up a pebble 
and deliberately throws it at the trout. The indignant fish, as 
may be expected, at once makes off into deep water, there to 
remain for half an hour at least. The angler now leisurely mounts 
a small live minnow on very fine tackle, and, by weighting it to a 
nicety, places it in the exact position where the trout’s head was. 
