162 SUBAQUEOUS LIFE 



terror, but with something that only can be expressed 

 by the Scottish word ' scunner ' a mixture of hatred, 

 fear, and loathing, such as we feel for an unclean insect. 

 Often you may see a goodly fish taking fly after fly out 

 of the mimic fleet that floats above him, dimpling the 

 surface in a degree out of all proportions to his dimen- 

 sions. You deftly lodge your lure, a perfect image of 

 the natural insect, a yard and a half above him ; neatly 

 cocked, it swims in a right line to his lair; he is 

 deceived, as well he may be, and quietly moves to meet 

 it; his jaws are on the point of parting to admit it; 

 suddenly he wheels with tumultuous swirl and darts 

 away. You hear him distinctly exclaim, 'Oh my 

 Golly ! look at the gut ! ' Other trout again make no 

 show of vulgar terror, but simply cease rising, and 

 efface themselves in convenient sidings of weeds. 



Lxin 



The event in the day of every trout fisher, but 

 especially of the dry-fly fisher, is the rise of fly. Every- 

 subaqueous thing hinges on that ; but how variable, how 

 Life uncertain it is! This is greatly borne in 

 upon one in this month of August of all others the 

 worst hi the season. There are hours in every day of 

 every month when not a fin stirs ; in August there is 

 often plenty of stir, but of that exasperating kind 

 known as 'smutting,' when the fish are feeding on 

 insects so minute and multitudinous that it is hopeless 

 to present a counterfeit. At such times happy is he 

 who has stufied into a corner of his bag such a treasure 



