ON EAPID STREAMS. 29 



fish, and if be can, kill him. Again catch one of 

 a number of flies playing over some quiet pool, 

 put him on a hook and dap with him, make him 

 more gay and sportive, more conspicuous and 

 more audacious than his brethren, and the trout 

 will select this inviting one in preference to all 

 others. It would seem that the trout think of 

 such an unusually taunting insect, " Little rascal, 

 what do you mean by insulting me with such 

 boldness ? I'll punish you for your insolence/' 

 and sure enough poor foolish fly speedily pays 

 the penalty of his hazardous proceedings. 



And thus shall we see that the most con- 

 spicuous object is often the most attractive, even 

 with artificial baits, provided the trout has not 

 the means of discovering such, proffered bait to 

 be unlike what he naturally is accustomed to, or 

 believes what is presented to him to be edible. 



Now the trout are fierce, bold, rapacious, and 

 tyrannical over all their own kind smaller than 

 themselves, and all other smaller fish and insects ; 

 but they are excessively timid of the presence of 

 other animals. An otter, by natural instinct, 

 they shun, so also water-rats, and even birds; 

 cows, 'tis true, they will come close to, if they are 

 in the water, being attracted by the grubs wash- 

 ing down from the dung of the animals, but these 

 they come up to by slow degrees, and the sudden 

 approach of a cow will intimidate them. But of 

 man particularly, and beyond all other animals, 

 do they dread the presence ; generally^ as soon as 

 they discover one, they rush off, but this is not 

 always the case, they may remain stationary, 



