AUGUST 205 



sun is up, midges for about two hours 

 when it has dipped behind the hills, and 

 ordinary flies or flies still larger after 

 that? 



The reminder calmed my friend, whose 

 outburst was no more than a symptom 

 of the experienced angler's insatiable 

 curiosity about whys and wherefores. 



We are now entering upon a time 

 which each year gives much scope for 

 this inquiring spirit. A good deal is 

 known about brown trout and their 

 ways ; but of seatrout and salmon know- 

 ledge in the same measure is to seek. 

 Usually you can explain the capture of 

 a brown trout. The lure was something, 

 or an imitation of something, that was 

 naturally desirable at the moment. Even 

 when you fail in the attempt to catch a 

 brown trout, an explanation is as a rule 

 at hand. It is that, whilst the lure is 

 opportune, the state of the weather, or 

 that of the water, is such that the fish 

 are off their food. In short, as regards 

 the brown trout, which are with us, 



