160 ANIMAL LIFE UNDER WATER 



thrown forcibly on the ground and killed. The 

 worm now lies on the bottom with the gut trace 

 coming out at right angles from the middle, and 

 the head and tail each contains a hook threaded 

 to the end. 



As the carp family invariably take one end 

 of the worm the angler can be certain that the 

 hook is in the fish's mouth as soon as the float 

 moves, and can strike at once. The advantage 

 in being able to strike at once, instead of waiting 

 until the fish has had time to take the worm, is 

 obvious. How often when fishing for carp has 

 the float just gone under and then come up 

 again ? The carp has taken the end of the worm 

 into his mouth preparatory to sucking it down, 

 but the timid fish has felt a check on the captive, 

 worm, or its suspicions have been aroused in 

 some other manner, and the bait is rejected 

 before the hook has even been near the mouth 

 of the fish. 



While brown trout (salmo fario) were under 

 observation in my ponds I was very much struck 

 with the sudden change in their appearance when 

 these fish were alarmed. Like all other fish, 

 trout, by reflection, appear dark or light, red, 

 green, or any other colour, according to the 



