ISO THE DRY FLY AND FAST WATER 



they carry eggs. If he was an angler himself, it 

 was probably the result of personal experience 

 in the use of either the insect or its imitation; 

 or autopsies upon fish may have revealed the 

 fact. In the latter case, the discovery of a pre- 

 ponderating number of females in the stomach 

 of the fish would naturally influence his opinion; 

 but even this discovery could hardly be said to 

 prove that the trout had a preference for the 

 female because it was "laden with eggs." If 

 our author did not fish for trout, his knowledge 

 may have been based either upon information 

 obtained from some angler or upon his own ob- 

 servation of feeding fish; in the latter case, being 

 more of an entomologist than an angler, it is 

 not unreasonable to suppose that his interest 

 was centred upon the insect, and not upon the 

 fish. Having seen a number of females taken 

 in succession probably at a time when they 

 were predominant the fact would indicate to 

 his scientific mind a preference for the sex on the 

 part of the fish. 



If the fish does in fact prefer the female, the 

 explanation may be found in the life history of 

 the May-fly, which indicates that the male, some 

 time after the sexual function is performed, falls 

 lifeless, while the female, shortly after intercourse, 



