130 A BOOK ON ANGLING 



not an advantage, and wading up-stream (provided no disturb- 

 ance be made in the water) is. 



With regard to dress, some people are inclined to ridicule 

 the idea of there being any necessity for attending to it at all. 

 I am very sure, however, that excellent grounds exist for 

 not being too conspicuous in this respect. The trout is a very 

 gentlemanly fish, and does not like loud dressing ; positive 

 black and white, too, or anything which glitters or is unusual, 

 should be carefully eschewed, particularly on the upper and 

 more conspicuous part of the person. A tall black hat, or one 

 of the genus called " shiner " I do not recommend ; and 

 though I would rather fish in the Bishop of Winchester's stream 

 than in his lordship's company when in full canonicals, I should 

 equally consider Mr. Chadband in his cerements an objection- 

 able party for successful trout ing on a shy or well-fished stream; 

 while a stage coachman in a white top-coat and shiny hat would 

 be fully as unacceptable. I even dislike a highly varnished 

 rod. Who has not seen the flash of a rod waving in the air 

 when half a mile distant ? and surely so unusual and startling 

 a phenomenon cannot but be calculated to disturb the 

 equanimity of so sharp-eyed a creature as the trout. The 

 angler must not always consider, because the spot where a trout 

 lies is apparently out of the direct range of his vision, that there- 

 fore he is invisible to the trout ; because, owing to the refrac- 

 tion of the rays of light consequent on their passing from the 

 rarer medium of air into the denser medium of water, the direct 

 line of vision becomes broken on reaching the water, and takes 

 a much more perpendicular direction. The reader will under- 

 stand this by placing a coin in an empty pan, so far out of the 

 line of sight as to be hidden by the side of the vessel, and then 

 filling the pan with water, when the coin previously hidden will 

 be plainly visible. The same thing of course takes place 

 inversely with respect to the fish seeing the fisher, with this 

 remarkable difference, that the line is still farther diverted 

 from the direct line of vision, and therefore the fish can see at a 

 greater angle of divergence than the fisherman, and conse- 

 quently a fish lying under a bank between the angler and 

 himself can often see his enemy, when by no possibility could 

 the angler see him. 



It is as well that the angler should bear this little bit of 

 science in mind, as it will often account for a fish not rising, 

 when every other reason fails. Owing to this peculiarity, a fish 

 can to a certain extent see behind him as it were, and can take 



