ODD NOTIONS RESPECTING FLIES. 77 



appear. They have a fly for the morning, another 

 for noon, and another for the evening of every 

 clay in the year, and spend a great deal of -time 

 in taking off one fly, because it is a shade too 

 dark, and a second because it is a shade too light, 

 and a third to give place to the imitation of some 

 insect which has just made its appearance on the 

 water. 



During the summer months it is supposed that 

 the varieties of insects are reckoned by the thou- 

 sand, and we have seen several dozens of different 

 kinds on the water at one time, all of which are 

 greedily devoured by the trout. Those anglers 

 who think trout will take no fly unless it is an 

 exact imitation of some one of the immense number 

 of flies they are feeding on, must suppose that they 

 know to a shade the colour of every fly on the 

 water, and can detect the least deviation from it 

 an amount of entomological knowledge that would 

 put to shame the angler himself, and a good many 

 naturalists to boot. This opinion arises from the 

 supposition that trout will not take anything 

 readily unless they are accustomed to feed upon 

 it, and consequently that they will not take a fly 

 unless it has been on the water sufficiently long to 

 allow them to become acquainted with it. No- 

 thing can be more erroneous than this. Trout 

 will take worms and grubs which they have never 

 seen before. They will also take parr-tail readily, 

 and they can never have seen it before ; and in 



