Flies and Fly-fishing. 405 



his hand. The shadows of moving objects were plainly 

 visible, whether the surface was smooth or rough. A 

 clear white or a red could be seen the greatest distance. 

 When sixty feet below the surface he had read the fine 

 print of a testament from the cargo of a wreck he was at 

 work upon. 



On one occasion he was at work on an asphaltum bed 

 at the bottom of Cardenas Bay. The asphaltum was 

 found between strata of white clay, which it was the 

 custom to loosen by light blasting, in order to facilitate 

 the removal of the asphaltum. Worms occurred in this 

 clay, of which the fishes of the vicinity were very fond. 

 Holding one of these worms between his fingers, and 

 stirring up the clay until the water was so turbid that 

 his hand was quite invisible, he could feel the fishes rub- 

 bing against his fingers and tugging at this worm. By 

 what sense they were then guided to their food is an in- 

 teresting question. That they had become accustomed 

 to regard this turbidity as a call to dinner, and that there- 

 after they were directed by smell to their food, suggests 

 itself as one explanation. 



But from whatever depth trout may be able to see a 

 fly, I have never seen reason to suppose they could be 

 coaxed to rise to one from the bottom in depths exceed- 

 ing nine or ten feet. That in clear water they can see it 

 much farther, particularly if in motion, is probable, even 

 though the details of its form may be obscure. 



But we all know they are peculiar creatures and full 

 of whims, and one of these seems to be reluctance to 

 move any great distance for their food. Perhaps experi- 

 ence has taught them that it, too, is endowed with life, 

 and that it may be gone before they can reach it. A fact 

 within the observation and experience of every angler 



