136 THE MAYFLY AND THE TROUT 



angler in a very dignified position. If Homo sapiens 

 means to match his intellect with that of some other 

 animal, he ought to hit upon one nearer his own intel- 

 lectual stature. If a quarter of a century of compulsory 

 education has done no more for us than to enable us 

 to outwit a brook trout, we have no business to waste 

 time in fishing. On the other hand, one cannot take 

 a stand on the physical basis, for how should a creature 

 with legs and arms, weighing some fourteen stone, 

 not prevail against one with neither, weighing perhaps 

 three pounds ? 



No; if you feel disinclined for easy slaughter, and 

 are superior to the competitive vanity of a heavy 

 basket, you can always handicap yourself by looking 

 for fish in difficult places. There is one putting up 

 his nose on the far side of those trailing willow sprays ; 

 the fly will come nicely over him if you can only land it 

 in the opening above the tree, but then there is a 

 thorn bush on the hither bank which interferes with 

 free movement of the rod, It can only be done by a 

 horizontal cast, not too low to catch the meadow 

 grasses, nor too high to strike the willow boughs. 

 There ! after several failures the feat is accomplished : 

 the fly lands on the right spot, about three yards 

 above the fish. Will it ever reach him ? Will there 

 come that fatal drag, caused by the swifter current on 

 the near side, or by the line catching in one of the 

 willow sprays? Right! It swims down as naturally 

 as might be ; just at the expected spot there is the 

 tiniest disturbance, such as a water-beetle might create. 



