334 AMERICAN ANGLER'S BOOK. 



killing in August, and the Red and Brown Hackle, the 

 Coachman, Alder-Fly, and Brown Hen, will kill all summer. 

 For the theory of " strict imitation," there is some show of 

 reason, but I cannot concede that Trout will rise more readily 

 at the artificial fly which most closely resembles the natural 



one, for the fish's attention is first attracted because of some- 



* 



thing lifelike falling on the water, or passing over the surface, 

 and he rises at it because he supposes it to be something he 

 is in the habit of feeding upon, or because it resembles an 

 insect or looks like a fly, not that it is any 'particular insect 

 or fly ; for we sometimes see the most glaring cheat, which 

 resembles nothing above the waters or beneath the waters, 

 a piece of red flannel, for instance, or the fin of one of their 

 own species, taken greedily. 



The last time I had positive proof of this was some years 

 ago, when I happened to spend a quiet Sabbath in the 

 "Beech Woods" of Pennsylvania, with a cheery Irishman 

 who had made a clearing on the Big Bquinunk. Towards 

 noon I missed my creel, and on inquiring what had become 

 of it, was told that the boys had gone a-fishing and taken it 

 with them. In the afternoon they returned with the creel 

 full of Trout, which far exceeded my catch of the day pre- 

 vious. I asked them if they had taken them with worms — 

 no ; with the fly — no, they had none ; and then I remembered 

 the " dodge" I had practised myself in my early Trout-fishing 

 days. They said they had "skittered" with the helly Jin of the 

 Trout. A worm to catch the first fish was the only bait they 

 wanted, all the rest of the Trout were taken by drawing this 

 rude counterfeit over the surface of the water. They did not 

 know — happy little fellows — that their practice was in oppo- 

 sition to the theory of learned professors, — Hofland, Blaine, 

 Shipley, Ronalds, and others. 



