OF THE FISHES 1 47 



He makes for the rapids, but is gently 

 checked, dashes for the reedy bank and 

 is checked again, only to return to plunge 

 and fight in mid-water. Like a log, buoy- 

 ant yet heavy, which is being tossed and 

 turned by contending currents, he, with 

 the aid of that powerful tail and pro- 

 digious fin, turns somersaults and re- 

 peats a series of rolling movements, 

 much to the discomfort of the angler, 

 who is only too conscious of the fine 

 hold of the tiny hook in that delicate 

 mouth, the light tackle, and the dangers 

 of those characteristic evolutions which 

 are so different from the fighting strategy 

 of the trout. But in a few minutes the 

 line is returning and the slow click of 

 the reel tells its own tale. A full pound 

 he weighs, and while we wonder at the 

 fleeting glory of those rainbow tints 

 which come and go, pulsating in infinite 

 variety, upon the opaline sides, and again 

 at the symmetry and grace, or at the 



