IMITATION OF THE NATURAL INSECT 169 



some pressure brought to bear upon the leader 

 by the slow current. It had hardly assumed 

 this upright position, and perhaps was still in 

 the act of regaining its equilibrium, when it dis- 

 appeared and I was fast to the fish. He added 

 this fly to his collection, and while I sadly 

 examined the leader to ascertain the extent 

 of the damage done, I was not wholly discon- 

 tented. 



I threw a Whirling Dun to this fish one day 

 over a hundred times without putting him down 

 or having him evince the slightest interest in 

 it. A few minutes later, going up-stream from 

 him, I detached the fly from the leader, and, 

 breaking the hook off at the bend, floated it 

 down, and it was taken readily. Perhaps on 

 this occasion I missed the psychological mo- 

 ment, and it is quite possible that the fly would 

 have been taken if I had made one more cast, 

 though not very probable. My own notion of it 

 is that the pattern, when floated down with the 

 hook broken off, had a certain naturalness which 

 was lacking when it was attached to the leader. 

 Either the leader itself was seen, or its restraint 

 upon the fly destroyed its natural appearance. 

 On the other hand, however, the difficulty in 

 presenting the fly because of the overhanging 



