70 AN ANGLER'S YEAR 



and in nearly similar positions, such a difference seems 

 difficult to account for, unless by the hypothesis that 

 the smaller fish commence to feed sooner after 

 spawning (both were female). Another fact was to be 

 noticed, namely, that the larger fish which frequent this 

 stream (from lib. to 21b. in weight) were conspicuous by 

 their absence, and, indeed, might hardly yet have 

 commenced to feed. The presence of water shrimp 

 (gammarus) in the better conditioned fish might account 

 for the greater weight, but no sufficient reason seemed 

 to exist why the other fish should not have contained 

 them also. In both trout the usual small stones were 

 present in the stomach in fair quantity. Two out of 

 three caddis in the first trout had similar stones 

 cemented into their cases, and the other stones may be 

 the indigestible remains of previous case-worms 



As far as one could learn from such slender materials 

 as have here been indicated, the coming season seemed 

 likely to prove a successful one, especially if the next 

 few weeks had been wet. From the examination of a 

 little sample of weed and water, the supply of larvae 

 seemed plentiful, while the presence of numerous speci- 

 mens of both large and small water shrimp showed that 

 the gammari had been breeding freely, which would 

 help to bring the fish on rapidly. Altogether it might 

 have been safely prognosticated that if plenty of bright, 

 pure water, a good stock of fish, and a bountiful supply 

 of food were necessary for a successful trouting season, 

 the season then opening bid fair on this stream, at 

 least to be above the average. But it was not so ; for 

 some weeks, in fact during the whole of May, the river 

 maintained its height and the fish rose well. As the 

 summer passed on without rain the river suffered, the 

 low water and tremendous growth of weed almost 

 putting a stop to the fishing, 



The Mayfly, alas, proved a complete failure, only a 

 very few being seen, and those the fish would hardly 

 look at. 



The duns also did not show up in any abundance, and 

 altogether the promise of May was not carried out. 



