CANNIBAL PROPENSITIES OF LARGE TROUT. 17 



prevalent from 17 to 20 days. By the time the 

 season of the drake terminates, the fish have so 

 regaled themselves upon this lusty ephemeral that 

 for a week or so they find it incumbent upon them to 

 retire to the deep still water, to doze off the effect of 

 the excess, after which they again resort to their 

 accustomed posts, which are not forsaken until the 

 spawning season again comes round, except when 

 forced to retreat in the face of what in Highland 

 phraseology is called a heavy " spate," when, par- 

 ticularly in hilly districts, the water rises and the 

 stream becomes " bank-full/' to overflow in a few 

 hours ; not only is the force of the current too strong, 

 but the water is generally too thick in mid-current 

 to admit of the movement of the fish. In these 

 circumstances the quiet corners and side eddies, no 

 matter if quite out of the usual water-course, are the 

 resort of not only trout, but all other species that 

 may inhabit the water. The whole congregate in 

 places of comparative safety when danger threatens, 

 the minnows with the trout, the pike with the 

 gudgeon. When trout reach a more than ordinary 

 size they disdain surface food. At twilight, and even 

 later in the hot months, however, they will rise at the 

 large moths, but are not to be allured to the surface 

 by small flies. When over two pounds weight the 

 flesh assumes a beautiful red tint, not unlike that of 

 a well conditioned salmon, but when they much 

 exceed that weight they do incalculable harm to the 

 water they inhabit by greedily devouring the small 

 half-grown fish. They occasionally attain a pro- 

 c 



