370 PKAIKIE AND FOKEST. 



After sunset I never could succeed in capturing them, and 

 the best hours in the day were from sunrise till it com- 

 menced to get warm, and the two hours preceding sunset. 

 After these fish had disappeared from the river, I discovered 

 that they could be taken in the deep waters in the lakes, 

 either with minnow or natural fly, the bait being sunk 

 close to the bottom ; and the place where I was generally 

 most successful in this fishing was where, our guide 

 affirmed, were situated the springs that partially fed these 

 lakes ; his reason for this statement being that this portion 

 of the lake always remained open in winter, while the 

 balance every year froze up. 



Again, after these fish had deserted the river I had some 

 admirable sport with them by going to the top of the lake 

 and coming down on the annual lumber raft. I was put 

 up to this by the guide ; he for years had followed lum - 

 bering, and the rafts as they floated down, he assured me, 

 were always followed by swarms of trout. His information 

 was correct as to the numbers of fish, but instead of the 

 trout of the river, I found my beautiful, brilliant-coloured 

 friend. This habit is peculiar, to say the least of it, and 

 untroutlike, and I could only account for it in two ways, 

 viz. either the shade afforded by these immense logs formed 

 the attraction, or the constant immersion of the timber in 

 the water caused the insect denizens of the bark to be 

 drowned out of their retreats, and, dropping off in the 

 water, furnished these fish with a favourite food. 



Summer drifted past, and with it disappeared the inces- 

 sant persecuting flies. Autumn, with all that brilliant 

 colouring so remarkable in America, made its appearance, 



