THE INVISIBILITY OF HOOKS 17 



of the hackle of the Little Chap. But if they be dressed on 

 the same size of hook, when one will kill, as a general 

 proposition the other will kill. If the artificial fly lay on 

 quite still water it may be doubted whether it would often 

 be taken ; but in general the movement of the stream imparts 

 an appearance of motion to the fly, and the trout, catching 

 a general impression of correct size and colouring, absorbs 

 it, hook and all, without too nearly considering the things 

 that belong to his peace. Taking it by and large, the fact is 

 indisputable that the shabbiest, roughest, most dilapidated, 

 most broken-winged fly is as likely to kill as the newest 

 and freshest of the fly- tier's confections — provided size and 

 colour be right. What is " right " must be the subject of 

 further discussion. Meanwhile, I think I have established 

 this, that in appreciation of form and proportion and detail 

 the sight sense of the trout is defective. 



Ill 



THE INVISIBILITY OF HOOKS 



But there is another matter in which his eyesight some- 

 times serves him ill. Dr. Watts — I think it was that 

 great and good man — represented a wise old mother trout 

 assuring her too ardent offspring that " that horrid fly is 

 meant to hide the sharpness of the hook." It may be so, 

 but performance, alas ! often falls far short of intention, 

 and the instances are few in which the horrid fly does 

 anything of the sort. Indeed, a very competent school of 

 Scottish fly dressers is all for minimum of wing and body, 

 and the rankest exposure of the hook which is possible, 

 so that the fly is the merest sketch, and the hook is the 

 prominent thing. Therefore, in speculating on the vision 

 of the trout, we have to make our account with the fact 



3 



