CHAPT. xi. Entomology, 149 



it lasts "Ut. and on what rivers it i-. In be found. I can only say it 



is in full force in tin- northern parts of South Canara in December 

 andJanuary. But of what avail is such very limited information 

 in tin- direction <>t' the entomology of Indian fly I i s 1 n 1 1 _; ! 



1 have also observed tin' overhanging bamboos covered with 

 light dun flies that were clearly land flies, and remained on the 



hand till disturbed, ii"t seeming ever to fall into the water for 



the fish. Such Hies, of course, are useless. 



There is no doubt that fly fishing, if worth anything as a science 

 and a sport, should he reduced tn its entomological basis, and each 

 artificial fly should be a close imitation of some known natural fly 

 in the habit of living on or near the water, and thus becoming the 

 common food of fish. But it' we cannot ascertain the natural flies, 

 we can only do as our lathers pretty generally did in England, and 

 a- uot a few are still well content to do, namely, to make arbitrary 

 guesses at the .sort of fly to be used at certain times and places, 

 with very little reference to entomology, preferring to it, indeed, 

 such crude regulators as the colour of the water, and the brightness 

 or otherwise of the day, to guide our preferences, and after all 

 coming back to this, that if one man has killed with a certain fly, 

 another may. For the Bariiius 2?a&m, then, any small trout fly 

 will do, and the black, perhaps, for preference, the sue being Xo. 14 

 Sneck or Kirhy. 



It must not be presumed that, because fish are small, they are 

 not shy. There is no sequence at all in the argument. It may 

 be that some small fish are. not so shy as the bigger ones, but some 



sorts again are; and you may lie very sure that n bite the 



better for seeing a biped making demonstrations at them from 



tin- sh None but those which have been ltd by hand will be 



sociable. Therefore, if you go and stand bolt upright at the very 



edge of the stream, and don't get spurt, don't blame me, that is 



all. Do nciL you remember how even the little burn trout in 

 Scotland dart away directly they see a Saxon on the bank i 



Vmi will very much improve your sport if you will condescend 



to he careful in this matter, even with small fish, and notalilv with 



the Bards. They should be fished fur just as carefully as a trout 

 It is well to remember that fish ordinarily lie with their noses up 

 stream, l'mkimj in front of them, and, more or less, cm each side 



■ if them, fur what maybe brought down to them by the stream, 



