F L Y F ISHING IN THE SCHUYLK.ILL RIVER 



" Or a live mouse," put in Gills. 

 ' Yes, I dare say either would have done the 

 work," rejoined Mendy; " but, joking apart, boys, 

 did you ever hear of such an experience? " 



"Well," said the Doctor, " Genio C. Scott 

 tells something like it in his * Fishing in American 

 Waters.' He was angling for trout up in Maine, 

 and the fish were jumping very lively, but would 

 not touch any of his feathers. He fished for an 

 hour or so, when, observing that the air was full 

 of gray gnats, he tried one, and then and there 

 made a full creel. What were your bass jumping 

 at, Mendy? Did you notice?" 



"Pshaw! Doctor! " indignantly replied Mendy. 

 " You know I 'm up to all such dodges. I tell 

 you the bass were jumping at nothing, at least, 

 all but one : he went for a swallow, but as I did n't 

 have any such bait in my box, I couldn't try it 



on." 



" Mendy," said Gills, " I can back you up, for 

 one evening this summer, at the mouth of Mill 

 Creek, I had a similar but not so elaborate an ex- 

 perience as yours, and I have long since come to 

 the conclusion that black bass sometimes jump out 

 of the water, either for the fun of the thing or 

 from some other cause, probably a hygienic one, 

 unknown to us." 



The camp of our anglers was built upon the edge 

 of a bold bluff on the Schuylkill River, overlook- 



6 81 



