THE SALMON'S INSTINCT IN CHOICE OF FLIES. 255 



On the supposition that all the elements of the problem lie before us, 

 nothing can be more preposterous than to imagine that the exact truth 

 can be found out in a hurry. We have no direct communication with the 

 fish. Still, admitting this, it must be acknowledged that certain points 

 are already thoroughly well known, although confined to individual 

 localities. 



I invite the reader to look closely into the following facts, and to 

 bear in mind, while so doing, that speculation must invariably occupy the 

 ground where proof is wanting. 



To attempt, moreover, to analyse rightly the points at issue without 

 discussing analogous matters freely would be to engage in a task at once 

 unprofitable, if not impossible. And this means that, in my case at least, 

 very close compression is impossible. 



Many will say, " I refuse to believe that your ' Jock Scotts ' repre- 

 sent flies, as I fail to fix upon Nature's equivalent to them. I can 

 comprehend what one member of this royal family the Trout, to wit 

 says for himself in taking the " Alder " for an alder, the " May fly "for a 

 may fly ; I can also understand that Trout distinguish between one fly 

 and another, no matter whether the pattern be less, or very much more, 

 picturesque than Nature dictates ; so I don't go to anybody to explain to 

 me why it is that a Trout is sometimes taken in by a showy leg or an 

 unnatural bit of wing colouring, or body ornamentation. One thing seems 

 certain, in my estimation, Trout mistake our flies for natural flies, but I 

 am all at sea with his majestic relative, the Salmon, and there ends the 

 matter." 



The answer is, that instinct directs the choice of food in all fish and 

 in every animal. Those of the lowest order possess this instinct by which 

 they are enabled to distinguish the appearance and taste of edibles 

 generally. Even the sea anemone contributes entertaining evidence in 

 showing a sense by which it recognises its proper food. When a small 

 piece of fish is brought carefully to the tentacles of one of these animals, 

 whose mouth is widely open, the food is seized and surrounded by them, 

 and the morsel disappears ; I mean, that we actually see it swallowed. 

 If we present the anemone with a film of wool or cotton, it is refused. 



I would also remark that, in maiden rivers, Salmon are not first 



