CURIOUS PHENOMENA. 85 



ing natural cause. In the meantime, I conceive 

 the cause as somehow allied to electricity in some 

 state of its negative, positive, or veering motions, 

 but how balanced so as to produce the particular 

 phenomenon of the flies covering the surface, and 

 the trouts not owning them, I know no more than 

 a philosopher. 



Another morning at ten o'clock will look much 

 the same as last in all respects, only that the first 

 rise of flies to the surface will stir all the trout 

 into motion ; a complete flapping of heads and tails 

 and yellow bellies tumbling up, cuffs the flies to 

 confusion. In this case we may get a few, and only 

 a few, for, though in feeding mood, they have such a 

 choice before them, that our best imitations are 

 overlooked or rejected on sight. In half an hour 

 the hurry is over and all stilled again into a dull 

 calm surface, till another rise of flies from the bottom, 

 when a similar scene takes place for another half 

 hour or so ; and so on alternately down through the 

 middle part of the day. The best thing to be re- 

 commended to an angler in such a case, is to take 

 his place on a proper station, where he previously 

 knows the trouts will be principally congregated ; 

 to be ready and active in picking out half a dozen 

 or so whenever these bestirs are going on, and they 



