THE VALUE OF OBSERVATION 37 



lightly, but brought no response, and after a 

 further half dozen fruitless attempts I began to 

 think of the fine log fire at the house. I made 

 one more cast, however, this time in the teeth 

 of the wind. Using but twenty-five feet of line 

 and a short leader, I was able to straighten both 

 in the air. The wind kept all suspended for an 

 instant, the fly, accompanied by a small part of 

 the leader, finally falling upon the water, where 

 it remained but a fraction of a second, the 

 wind whisking it off and laying it down a foot 

 away. This happened five or six times as the 

 fly came down-stream, and during the time it 

 was travelling a distance of not over eight or 

 ten feet five trout, each apparently over a pound 

 in weight, rose to it, but missed because it was 

 plucked away by the wind just in time to save 

 them. I did not get one of them, and, as it was 

 practically impossible to continue casting under 

 the prevailing conditions, I left the stream. It 

 was brought home solidly to me that day, how- 

 ever, that it was the action of the fly alone that 

 moved the fish and my day was not badly 

 spent. I cannot say as much of the many other 

 days since then that I have spent in what I feel 

 were rather foolish attempts to imitate the effect 

 produced by the wind on that day. 



