2 TROUT-FISHING FOR THE BEGINNER 



of a much lighter shade, and dotted with 

 the most brilliant spots. Occasionally a 

 single fish on a long stretch of water will 

 be much more conspicuously coloured than 

 his fellows. I have known of at least two 

 instances of this, and succeeded in capturing 

 both trout. Each one, when in the water, 

 looked as yellow as a guinea, and when 

 disturbed, was like a bar of gold shooting 

 upstream. The food taken by these par- 

 ticular trout, no doubt, accounted for their 

 conspicuous shade, although it seems strange 

 that the other trout amongst which they 

 dwelt were all so much darker. 



Trout fed chiefly on mollusca become 

 more or less dark in colour, with yellowish 

 underparts and very bright red spots. On 

 the other hand, a diet of daphnia and cyclops 

 results in the fish taking on a silvery sheen, 

 owing to certain light-reflecting spicules which 

 appear on the scales. These spicules consist 

 of a substance known as guanin, which is 

 derived from rich animal food. As much of 

 this is to be found in salt water, trout conse- 

 quently acquire a silvery appearance, when 

 they get into the habit of visiting the sea. 



In this country, trout live in waters of 

 very varied character. There are the slowly 

 flowing chalk-streams of the south of Eng- 



