10 MINOR TACTICS OF THE CHALK STREAM 



swarming of nymphs released from weed or gravel, 

 or whatever their particular fastness may be, and 

 borne down the current. This precedes the actual 

 hatch for a period greater or less according to 

 temperature, pressure, and perhaps other little- 

 understood conditions ; and so it happens that no 

 trout that is not " by ordinar' " stupid could fail 

 to appreciate that game is afoot, and to put him- 

 self in position to enjoy the sport. 



If one goes down to the bottom of the High 

 in Winchester, near by King Alfred's statue, 

 and peers between the railings, one may generally 

 see several brace of handsome trout ; and if one 

 takes some new bread and presses it together in 

 little balls hard enough to make it sink, but not 

 sink too fast, and throws it to the trout, one may 

 see some most beautiful catching, neater than that 

 of the most finished fielder in the slips. So when 

 the nigh-upon-hatching nymphs are being hurried 

 down, your trout shall enjoy some pretty fielding 

 before the bulk of the quarry come near enough to 

 the surface to attract attention to the trout's 

 movements by any swirl or break on the surface. 

 If the trout be lying out on the weeds from which 

 the nymphs are issuing, you shall see the trout 

 swashing about in the shallow water covering the 

 weed-beds, in pursuit of the nymphs, and present- 

 ing the phenomenon known as " bulging." This is 

 the first stage of the rise. 



Presently, as the swarm of drifting nymphs 



