THE TROUT. 43 



drawn out of the water, his companion immediately aban- 

 doned that particular locality ; but whether from a deep 

 sense of an irreparable bereavement, we must leave to the 

 opinion of the reader. 



There can be little doubt, we apprehend, that trout are 

 remarkably susceptible of atmospheric influences. It is 

 perhaps impossible to explain this; but our opinion is 

 founded on circumstances like the following, which have 

 fallen under our observation over and over again in many 

 parts of Great Britain. We have started some beautiful 

 morning with rod and fly, anticipating noble sport from 

 the favourable aspect of the weather, the sky perhaps 

 clear and settled, with a gentle breeze from the west or 

 south west a more promising day could not well be 

 imagined. The river was fished with uncommon care and 

 assiduity ; all kinds of flies were tried in their turn, and 

 every dodge which experience teaches was successively 

 resorted to, but never a fish could be hooked; miles of 

 ground were walked over, but not even a solitary rise 

 could be obtained, and the fellow-craftsmen whom we met 

 in our rambles were in precisely the same predicament. 

 The waters, in fact, appeared as still and quiet as if there 

 was not a single trout in them to disturb the calm surface. 

 Well, in a short time, out comes the explanation. The 

 next day is ushered in by a violent storm of snow or rain 

 the waters rise the floods come down and the fish get 

 gorged with food to their heart's content. Now, in our 

 humble opinion, for we speak with diffidence on the sub- 

 ject, this is a striking exemplification of the existence of 

 a powerful instinct for a given end or purpose. The 

 secret influences of the atmosphere, unperceivable by 

 man, intimate to the wakeful and conscious fish that an 

 abundant supply of food is at hand ; and on this account 



