ON RAPID STREAMS. oO 



food ; but tliat lie may be excited to feed by the 

 particular manner of his prey, tempting him by 

 greater attraction or conspicuity, so that one of 

 many small flies or fish will often be especially 

 selected, not from any apparent superiority in 

 condition or appearance in form, but simply from 

 arousing the trout's belligerent passions, or 

 awakening him from indifference by extraordi- 

 nary provocation. Hence, in our determination 

 of a bait, we must find one that will not only be 

 agreeable to the fish as a viand, but one which 

 of all others will be most exciting to him 5 nor is 

 this all, for inasmuch as a third party is to be 

 introduced, namely, the fishermau himself, no 

 little attention must be given to the importance 

 of his share in the proceeding ; .consequently, the 

 bait must not only be of all others the most 

 alluring in every way, but of all others be such 

 as is best adapted to the process and use the 

 fisherman will adopt, besides being favourable 

 to his own convenience. 



If we turn our attention to the natural fly, 

 it would appear from what we have remarked, 

 that it would best answer the purposes required 

 as far as the fish is concerned (and this is true of 

 it as an enticement) ; but we should find the 

 living fly very troublesome to use on rapid 

 streams, from its delicate structure giving much 

 annoyance in constantly necessitating a change 

 of bait ; every fish that touches it, independently 

 of the action of the water itself, taking it off, 

 besides being inconvenient to obtain at all times 



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