FIRST EMPTYING. 31 



efforts of fish to escape so soon as they perceive their 

 danger. 



THE RED-TAG. 



Why does a grayling take the fly called a "red-tag"? 

 This is one of those things that are likely to remain just as 

 much a mystery as it is why Tommy Atkins' red coat is 

 such an overpowering attraction to certain grades of the 

 female sex ; and here a curious reflection presents itself : 

 why is not a fox-hunter in pink as great an attraction ? He 

 isn't, not even with his horse thrown in. And if these things, 

 about which we poor mortals are supposed to understand 

 something, are too high for us, how shall we rise to the 

 higher level necessary for the study of such a question as 

 " Why does a grayling take a red-tag" ? The main point is 

 that he does take it, and usually in preference to anything 

 else you can show him. So far as we can imagine, it is a 

 new idea to him, and so, for the matter of that, are the one 

 or two other flies presented to his vision in the majority of 

 cases on the same cast. In other words, they are more or 

 less what are called fancy flies ; that is, nature never made 

 anything half so wonderful. But it happens that you may 

 have a red-tag and two first-rate imitations of real insects 

 that the fish knows when he sees them alive, and yet he will 

 stick all day to the red-tag, ignoring the others completely. 

 Is it the bit of red ? Do colours of different kinds present 

 the same hues to the vision of fish as they do to our eyes ? 

 The merciful powers forbid that it should be otherwise, else 

 what tommy-rot some of us have written in our time about 

 being careful to get the exact shade of feather and silk. 



NECESSITY FOR OBSERVATION. 



A long, steady, and careful system of observation is 

 essential to enlighten our dull comprehension in regard to 



