CHAMELEON TROUT. 77 



poached out, — were of a very black colour : this arose, 

 no doubt, from the privation of light. Sometimes I 

 have seen them lying on the shallows within a few 

 yards of the hide, where they still retained their black 

 hue. I caught with a minnow one of these dirty-looking 

 animals in the month of June last. He was not only 

 black in the back, so that he could be seen at a con- 

 siderable distance in the w T ater, but was also of a granu- 

 lated inky cast on his sides and underneath : his resort 

 was under a hide in comparative darkness. He was not 

 wasted, but of the same proportions with his brighter 

 companions. I concluded, however, that from his Afri- 

 can appearance he would cut but a sorry figure at the 

 table ; but being about three quarters of a pound, with 

 no promise of amendment, I bagged him notwithstand- 

 ing. As this was the first trout I took that morning, 

 he lay at the bottom of my basket. After catching a 

 few more lower down in the river, I thought I w r ould 

 have another look at my swarthy captive. I found 

 him more praiseworthy than at first; for the upper 

 side, which came in contact with the other fish, became 

 also bright, and of a colour exactly similar to them, 

 whilst the lower side that touched the dry basket re- 

 tained its original dark hue ; but by turning that part 

 of the fish also towards the others, the whole Trout 

 after a time became of a uniform bright colour, and 

 was not in that respect dissimilar to the rest. I do 

 not mean to hint that the blackamoor was dyed by 

 his dead companions, because I think that a wet cloth 

 would have produced the same effect ; but it seems ex- 

 traordinary that the water, which had no effect upon 



