THE SENSES OF PISHES. 21 



Not only is this education of the eye of old fishes 

 noticeable in reference to daylight fishing, but it is equally 

 so in reference to the use of such night flies as the 

 various white moths, which are very deadly on dark 

 evenings if used properly and that, amongst the largest 

 and best fish for the most part. The capacity of the 

 trout's eye for making the most of the scarce light of 

 night may be greater than we know, owing to our diffi- 

 culty of estimating it in the dark. I never, however, 

 noticed that there was anything specially favorable in the 

 fact that the moth was white, as one might suppose 

 sport being equally good in my experience when the Fetid 

 Brown or Cinnamon flies were used in place of the moth. 

 Besides, it is probable that each and all look equally dark 

 when outlined against the sky, and, therefore, the faculty 

 which enables these patriarchs of the stream to secure 

 their prey at night in the dark as well, or nearly so as 

 in the light, may, I submit, be fairly presumed to arise 

 from the education of the eye which, as we know in the 

 case of some astronomers, is possible to a very exalted 

 degree as the result of persistent and long continued 

 training. 



Although the whole of the foregoing screed is intended 

 to throw light (howsoever dimly) on the rationale of the 

 taking of the fly in its character as an imitation of the 

 natural food-insect, I am aware that it does not touch 

 the fact that trout will take fancy flies of any and all 

 conceivable patterns, which are like nothing in the 

 "heavens above, the earth beneath, or the waters under 

 the earth." I have even known trout to rise at Mr. H. 

 Cholmondeley Pennell's three typical nondescripts, which 



