100 FLOATING FLIES 



natural is hatching and "apparent" rises to it 

 are evidently common. It seems fairly certain 

 that at such times the fish are feeding ex- 

 clusively on the floating nymphs, taking them 

 on the surface in practically the same way as 

 the winged dun is taken. Also fish thus feed- 

 ing would hardly come within the technical def- 

 inition of bulging trout as that term is gen- 

 erally understood. 



Having assumed the first winged state, scien- 

 tificially the sub-imago, the duns thereafter are 

 upon the water more or less during its con- 

 tinuance, sometimes blown upon the water or 

 descending to the surface without apparent 

 reason, and the trout rise to and feed upon 

 them when in the mood. In a short time the 

 dun or sub-imago undergoes another metamor- 

 phosis to the imago or "spinner" the adult 

 insect. The male spinners are subsequently 

 upon the water in a spent or practically life- 

 less condition following the completion of the 

 act of coition. The latter takes place over the 

 stream to which the female spinner then de- 

 scends to void her eggs. This, with some 

 species, is done upon the surface, the fly float- 

 ing downstream the while eventually to rise 

 again and fly, generally it would seem, up- 

 stream unless the program 'is incontinently 



