172 FISHING IN EDEN 



float quietly on the surface of the water without 

 attracting particular attention. Immediately it 

 moves, or turns, or flutters, however, parts of 

 it will catch the light and affect the eye of fish 

 watching from below, or, at certain angles, from 

 the side. 



Some of the landborn flies dislike water, and also 

 some of the aquatic ones, like the Great Perla, for 

 example. They make violent efforts to get away 

 from it, and attract immediate attention. Many of 

 the aquatic insects after reaching the top of the 

 water, sail along as if asleep, and unconscious of 

 any lurking enemy. These latter are the creatures, 

 coming into the range of vision of the trout, that 

 appear as blurred silhouettes on the surface of the 

 water. They represent the shape of a fly without 

 much colour except such as may be reflected from 

 the bottom of the river. A natural fly alighting or 

 being blown on to the water, retains some kind of 

 tell-tale movement up to the moment of alighting. 

 Trout catch some ray of light given off at that 

 moment, and rise up to examine or take the fly. If 

 the fly is now quite still, the revealing glint of move- 

 ment has been quite enough to bring it under 

 inspection, and it may then be taken. If there is 

 what is known as a big hatch of flies on the water, 

 trout come " on the feed," and are nearer the sur- 



