576 



THE TROUT AND THE CARP. 



in vain among the barbed points. In the northern rivers this destruc- 

 tive pursuit is carried on to a great extent, more than a hundred salmon 

 being frequently taken in an evening. Anglers also find considerable 

 sport in using the fly for this beautiful and active fish, whose strength 

 makes it no mean antagonist. 



Next to the salmon, the bright-scaled, carmine-speckled, active Trout 

 is perhaps the greatest favorite of anglers, and fully deserves the eulogies 

 of all lovers of the rod, its peculiarly delicate flesh, its fastidious vora- 

 citv,and the mixture of strength, agility, and spirited courage with which 

 it endeavors to free itself from the hook, forming a combination of ex- 

 cellences rarely met with in any individual flsli. 



The Trout is found in rapid and clear-running streams, but cares 

 not for the open and shallow parts of the river, preferring the shelter 

 of some stone or hole in the bank, whence it may watch for prey. 

 Like the pike, it haunts some especial hiding-place, and in a similar 



manner is sure to take 





possession of a favorable 

 haunt that has been ren- 

 dered vacant by the de- 

 mise of its predecessor or 

 its promotion to superior 

 quarters. Various baits 

 are used in fishing for 

 trout, such as the worm, 

 The Trout {Salmo fario). the minnow, and the fly 



both natural and artificial, the latter being certainly the neatest and 

 most artistic method. The arcana of angling are not within the prov- 

 ince of this work, and for information on that subject the reader is 

 referred to the many valuable works which have been written by ac- 

 complished masters of the art. 



Though not so brightly spotted as the trout, or so desperately active 

 when hooked, and very inferior in flesh, the Carp is yet in much favor 

 with anglers on account of its extreme cunning, which has earned for 

 the fish the name of Fox of the Waters. As the number of British fish 

 is so great and our space so small, it will be needful to compress the 

 descriptions as much as possible, and to omit everything that does not 

 bear directly on the subject. 



Carp are found in both rivers and lakes, and in some places— 

 among which the royal palaces of France may be mentioned — will 

 often grow to an enormous size and become absurdly tame, crowding 

 to the bank on the least encouragement, and poking their great snouts 

 out of the water in anxious expectation of the desired food. It is most 

 curious to watch these great creatures swimming lazily along, and to 

 see how completely they have lost the inherent dread of man by the 



