SOME FANCIES SOME FACTS 197 



ground of sky. The leader floating upon the 

 surface is more visible to the fish than when 

 fully submerged. The angler who wishes to 

 demonstrate this may do so by placing a length 

 of gut upon the surface of some still, sunlit 

 water, noting the shadow cast by it upon the 

 bed of the stream, and then comparing it with 

 the shadow of the same gut submerged. 



The water-strider, skipping nimbly over the 

 surface of clear, shallow water, affords an ex- 

 cellent illustration of shadow effects. The shad- 

 ows thrown upon the bottom by this curious 

 insect are enormous when compared with its 

 actual size, and those resulting from the depres- 

 sion in the surface made by the insect's feet 

 look to be as big as a dime. It was observation 

 of the shadows thrown by the water-strider that 

 prompted me to experiment with the leader; 

 and my first attempt, made with the lightest 

 leader I had, produced a shadow upon the bot- 

 tom nearly an inch in width. Whether or not 

 this shadow alarms the fish more than does the 

 leader itself, probably depends upon the cir- 

 cumstances controlling the direction of his at- 

 tention at the time, but it is certain that one or 

 the other does have a marked effect upon his 

 behaviour. Perhaps both combined have, and, 



