THE COMMON TROUT. 225 



of his head and eyes are retained above or on a 

 level with the surface, he will for the space of 

 several seconds be so much astonished as to be in- 

 capable of any active exertions, and will frequently 

 allow himself to be drawn in that position, and 

 without resistance, straight ashore. 



The most generally approved mode of casting for 

 trouts is to throw the fly across and rather a little 

 up than down the stream, and then to bring it 

 sweepingly across and downwards. We have not 

 seldom found it a good plan to throw above and 

 beyond any large stone towards the middle of the 

 river, to allow the flies to sink several inches under 

 water, and then to drag them pretty rapidly towards 

 ourself, and close by the lower side of the stone. 

 Good fish often lie thereabouts, and they seem to 

 take your flies for some kind of eatable aquatics, 

 which are about to conceal themselves beneath that 

 stony covering. We have killed many a good 

 trout too, just by throwing our flies high and dry 

 upon the stone itself, and then allowing the wind 

 or the weight of the line to drop them floatingly 

 upon the surface. But there is in truth no end to 

 the variety of pleasing small manoauvres by which 

 the finny tribes may be successfully entrapped, and 

 we intentionally refrain from mentioning them, that 

 the reader may experience the greater pleasure of 

 deeming himself a discoverer, when he finds them 

 out for himself. Besides it would be about as easy 

 to tell an attorney all the various modes of catch- 

 ing clients, as to teach an angler each device by 

 which he may entangle trouts. 



