﻿280 
  Transactions. 
  — 
  Zoology. 
  

  

  of 
  day 
  also 
  wlien 
  tliey 
  apx^ear 
  to 
  feed 
  most, 
  differs 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  waters 
  

   fished 
  by 
  me 
  from 
  all 
  previous 
  experience. 
  Thus 
  in' 
  the 
  Lee 
  and 
  Deep 
  

   Streams, 
  every 
  angler 
  has 
  remarked 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  more 
  on 
  the 
  feed 
  during 
  

   the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  day, 
  from 
  spring 
  to 
  autumn, 
  than 
  either 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  

   or 
  evening 
  ;* 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  Shag 
  Eiver 
  and 
  Leith 
  they 
  are 
  found 
  to 
  

   feed 
  when 
  the 
  water 
  is 
  low 
  and 
  clear, 
  almost 
  entirely 
  at 
  night. 
  In 
  the 
  

   Shag 
  Eiver, 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  doubt, 
  this 
  is 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  fineness 
  and 
  

   transparency 
  of 
  the 
  water. 
  There, 
  during 
  the 
  day, 
  a 
  few 
  fish 
  only 
  are 
  

   seen 
  ; 
  but 
  from 
  dusk, 
  all 
  through 
  the 
  night 
  until 
  dawn, 
  they 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  

   less 
  on 
  the 
  move, 
  while 
  at 
  times 
  the 
  water 
  seems 
  alive 
  with 
  large 
  fish, 
  

   which 
  throw 
  themselves 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  tumble 
  along 
  the 
  surface, 
  or 
  

   pursue 
  the 
  whitebait 
  and 
  minnows 
  right 
  into 
  the 
  shallows. 
  Then 
  is 
  the 
  

   time 
  when 
  the 
  fish 
  are 
  nearly 
  all 
  caught, 
  that 
  being 
  done 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  

   natural 
  or 
  artificial 
  minnows. 
  A 
  fresh 
  in 
  this 
  river 
  operates 
  similarly 
  to 
  

   nightfall, 
  and 
  large 
  takes 
  have 
  been 
  often 
  made 
  on 
  such 
  an 
  occasion. 
  In 
  the 
  

   Leith 
  good 
  fishings 
  have 
  been 
  got 
  in 
  the 
  morning, 
  but 
  the 
  best 
  at 
  night. 
  t 
  

   In 
  all 
  these 
  streams 
  of 
  Otago 
  the 
  meteorological 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  

   atmosphere 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  marked 
  effect 
  on 
  the 
  movements 
  of 
  the 
  

   trout. 
  Thus, 
  with 
  a 
  falling 
  barometer 
  and 
  the 
  approach 
  of 
  rain, 
  particu-' 
  

   larly 
  if 
  the 
  air 
  is 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  getting 
  colder, 
  I 
  have 
  noticed 
  that 
  the 
  

   trout 
  invariably 
  cease 
  feeding. 
  It 
  is 
  only 
  rarely 
  I 
  have 
  caught 
  trout, 
  and 
  

   never 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  solitary 
  one, 
  under 
  these 
  circumstances. 
  Electricity 
  

   also, 
  when 
  approaching 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  thunder 
  clouds 
  or 
  otherwise, 
  has 
  the 
  

   same 
  effect. 
  But 
  when 
  the 
  storm 
  actually 
  bursts 
  over 
  the 
  stream, 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  

   I 
  have 
  found 
  the 
  fish 
  begin 
  to 
  take 
  once 
  more. 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  the 
  very 
  same 
  

   thing 
  occur 
  on 
  Scotch 
  waters. 
  As 
  a 
  rule 
  here, 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  far 
  more 
  trout 
  are 
  

   caught 
  when 
  an 
  east 
  wind 
  blows 
  than 
  when 
  it 
  comes 
  from 
  any 
  other 
  

   direction 
  ; 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  this 
  favourable 
  wind 
  has 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  to 
  do 
  

   with 
  this 
  result. 
  Although 
  no 
  experiments 
  as 
  yet 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  here 
  to 
  

   test 
  the 
  theory, 
  yet 
  I 
  believe 
  that, 
  as 
  regards 
  temperature, 
  trout 
  will 
  take 
  

   surface 
  food 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  air 
  is 
  warmer 
  than 
  the 
  water, 
  and 
  at 
  times 
  when 
  

   colder, 
  but 
  only 
  within 
  certain 
  limits. 
  Not 
  only 
  do 
  my 
  own 
  observations 
  

   lead 
  to 
  this 
  conclusion, 
  but 
  I 
  may 
  mention 
  here 
  a 
  corroborative 
  fact 
  which 
  

   came 
  to 
  my 
  knowledge 
  some 
  years 
  ago. 
  Then 
  being 
  in 
  Scotland, 
  I 
  had 
  the 
  

   good 
  fortune 
  to 
  be 
  permitted 
  the 
  perusal 
  of 
  a 
  register 
  of 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  

   the 
  air 
  and 
  water 
  at 
  Loch 
  Tay, 
  which 
  was 
  shown 
  me 
  by 
  a 
  gentleman 
  who 
  

   had 
  been 
  residing 
  there 
  as 
  factor 
  to 
  the 
  Earl 
  of 
  Breadalbane, 
  to 
  whom 
  the 
  

   fishings 
  belong. 
  By 
  comparing 
  the 
  readings 
  of 
  the 
  thermometers 
  for 
  air 
  

  

  * 
  I 
  have 
  killed 
  good 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  morning 
  on 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  occasions, 
  but 
  rarely 
  any 
  fish 
  

   at 
  all 
  at 
  night, 
  and 
  never 
  large 
  ones. 
  

  

  t 
  In 
  British 
  rivers, 
  under 
  ordinary 
  weather, 
  evening 
  and 
  night 
  are 
  the 
  times 
  when 
  

   trout 
  feed 
  most, 
  unless 
  in 
  spring, 
  when 
  this 
  is 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  day. 
  

  

  