HYPOCRITICAL FISH 87 



himself. I naturally attempt to regain this fly, 

 unjustly withheld from me. The fish gets tired and 

 weak in his lawless endeavours to deprive me of it. 

 I take advantage of his weakness, I own, and drag 

 him, somewhat loth, to the shore, where one rap 

 at the back of the head ends him in an instant. If 

 he is a trout, I find his stomach distended with flies. 

 That beautiful one called the May-fly, who is by 

 nature almost ephemeral who rises up from the 

 bottom of the shallows, spreads its light wings, and 

 flits in the sunbeam in enjoyment of its new exist- 

 ence no sooner descends to the surface of the 

 water to deposit its eggs, than the unfeeling fish 

 at one fell spring numbers him prematurely with 

 the dead. You see, then, what a wretch a fish is ; 

 no ogre is more bloodthirsty, for he will devour his 

 nephews, nieces, and even his own children, when 

 he can catch them ; and I take some credit for 

 having shown him up. Talk of a wolf, indeed, a 

 lion, or a tiger ! Why these are all mild and saintly hi 

 comparison with a fish. When did any one hear of 

 Messrs. Wolf, Lion, and Co. eating up their grand- 

 children ? What a bitter fright must the smaller 

 fry live in ! They crowd to the shallows, lie hid 

 among the weeds, and dare not say the river is their 

 own. I relieve them of their apprehensions, and 

 thus become popular with the small shoals. 



When we see a fish quivering upon dry land, he 

 looks so helpless without arms or legs, and so 

 demure in expression, adding hypocrisy to his other 

 sins, that we naturally pity him ; then kill and 

 eat him with Hervey sauce, perhaps. Our pity is 



