26 AN ANGLER'S SEASON 



sport. Trout even distinguish between 

 the sex of the insects strewn upon or in 

 the water, sometimes, for example, pre- 

 ferring the male March Brown to the 

 female, or the female to the male ; and in 

 the colours of wings and bodies of lures, 

 from the largest to the smallest, there are 

 gradations which they see and act upon. 



It is not implied that it is impossible 

 to catch fish with lures which are not 

 precisely like the insects wanted at the 

 moment. That is possible, and often 

 happens ; but when it does happen it 

 tempts the angler to an erroneous con- 

 clusion. It seems to bear out the notion 

 that one lure is as good or nearly as good 

 as another; but the seeming is illusory. 

 If the angler had on his cast the exactly 

 opportune fly, he would raise but few 

 fish, if any, at either of the others. 

 When they cannot see a better, trout 

 will occasionally take a fly that is not 

 quite what they want ; but when they do 

 see a better, that is the only fly which 

 really interests them. 



