CHAMELEON TROUT. 57 



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 considerable distance in the water, but was also of a 

 granulated 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 African 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 notwith- 

 standing. 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 would 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 

 extraordinary that the water, which had no effect upon 



