REFRACTION 423 



times, of which we are not always aware, for under 

 certain conditions it is very certain that a shadow is 

 more clearly thrown on the water when standing some 

 distance away from the latter, than when at its very 

 brink ; and many a man who is not cognizant of this, or 

 who is too careless to remember it, will, because he 

 is some distance from the river, fish away, standing 

 the while upright, being under the impression that the 

 fish cannot see him ; while all the time he, and every 

 button on his coat, is as plainly visible to them as if he 

 were standing in front of a mirror. He wonders why 

 he catches no fish ! any friend from the opposite bank 

 could very readily inform him. The experiment 

 can very easily be tried by putting a mirror flat on the 

 ground, and then, placing some object of the height of 

 a man some distance away from it, noticing from how 

 far off the reflection of the object will be cast in it. 

 The result is somewhat startling to anyone who is 

 unacquainted with the laws of refraction. Yet the 

 mirror but represents the surface of the water. 



The growth and size of trout are entirely dependent 

 upon the description and quantity of food they can 

 obtain. I have killed lake - trout which very tar 

 exceeded in weight any river-trout, and this may be 

 attributed to the enormous quantity of flies which are 

 hatched in such waters. The rivers being narrow, a 

 very great amount of the flies which are hatched save 

 their lives by being able to reach the rushes and grass 

 which grow on the banks, and so are lost to the fish as 

 food ; moreover, the quantity of flies bred in rivers is 

 infinitely less by comparison than those which are 

 bred in lakes. 



It is asserted that where trout in the same lake 



