THE INTELLIGENCE OF TROUT 163 



in the known presence of man. The sight of man 

 is always a warning signal. If he can fish without 

 being seen the greatest obstacle, perhaps, to success 

 has been overcome. 



Trout associate man with the mysterious. 

 Mystery alarms all the children of the wild. Trout 

 rise continuously quite near, and all around, the 

 night fisherman. Neither his body nor his arm 

 movements are taken any notice of for the simple 

 reason that they are not seen. 



They know by experience that the natural 

 fly food on which they live has a steadfast 

 behaviour of its own. It does not float up or 

 across stream. Natural flies are not attached to 

 one another by pieces of string. Looked up at from 

 below, towards the light of day, insect food on the 

 surface of the water is more or less transparent. 

 The unusual arouses suspicion. Natural flies have 

 no solid vertebrae. The steel hook, running 

 through the middle of an artificial fly is impenetrable 

 to light. It is indispensable but, nevertheless, at 

 times, an undoubted danger signal. 



Nearly all wild things take care intelligently. 

 Young animal life is subject to many blunders 

 through inexperience. Self protection is instinctive 

 from the first. It is afterwards reinforced by 

 experience. 



