130 



cording to Sir Humphrey, the salmon may take 

 the fly in sport or from curiosity; or if they take 

 it as food it may be in a mistake for a small 

 fish, or from a vague recollection of the flies 

 upon which they fed when samlets. Now we are 

 arrived at the last link of the chain, but what does 

 that hang on ? The mystery of the samlets taking 

 any kind of fly, as they can receive no lessons in 

 entomology from their parents, who are recruiting 

 themselves in the salt water at the mouth of the 

 river before their progeny have burst from the "pea" 

 near its source, is at least as great as the salmon 

 taking a showy lure of fur and feathers, which 

 may be like something that he may have tasted 

 before, while the impulse which prompts the samlet 

 to seize his "first fly" must be purely intuitive. But 

 this is not the only attempt in the book to explain 

 the ignotum per ignotius, and after a parade of 

 showy argument, but feeble reasoning, leaving the 

 question where it was. One of the grounds for sup- 

 posing that salmon take the fly from curiosity or in 

 sport, is, that, during their abode in rivers, they are 

 never found with food in the stomach: with equal 

 reason may we not suppose that they take the worm, 

 minnow, small trout, gudgeon, and par-tail for it is 

 known that they will bite at all these from the 

 same motives ? What a playful and inquisitive fish 

 the salmon must be! Believe with us, gentle reader, 

 which is according to the faith of your grandsire, 

 that the salmon takes the fly, whether aquaker in sober 





