32 Fisuing iv American WATERS. 
for salmon, trout, maskinongé, pickerel, black bass, bluefish, 
Spanish mackerel, and all other surface feeders. Besides, the 
pretended imitations are used several months earlier in the 
year than nature produces their originals; thus, while the 
finest salmon-fishing in Europe is during the spring months, 
the dragon-fly is a summer insect, and rarely makes its ap- 
pearance until June. 
Tf artificial flies have no resemblance to natural ones, “ how 
much more unlike must they be when, instead of being swept 
down by the current, as a real one would be, the artificial fly 
is seen crossing and recrossing every stream and torrent with 
the agility of an otter and the strength of an alligator? 
Now, as it is demonstrable that the artificial fly generally 
used for salmon bears no resemblance, except in size, to any 
living one; that the only tribe which it may be supposed to 
represent does not exist in the winged state during the pe- 
riod when the imitation is most generally and most success- 
fully used; and if they did, their habits and natural powers 
totally prevent them from being at any time seen under such 
circumstances as would give a color to the supposition of 
the one being even mistaken for the other, may we not fairly 
conclude that, in this instance at least, the fish proceed upon 
other grounds, and are deceived by an appearance of life and 
motion rather than by a specific resemblance to any thing 
which they had previously been in the habit of capturing ? 
What natural insect do the large flies and spoons at which 
sea trout, lake trout, black bass, ete., bite, resemble? These, 
as well as salmon, frequently take the lure far within the 
bounds of salt-water mark, and yet materialists know that no 
such thing as a salt-water fly exists. Indced, no true insect 
inhabits the sea. What species are represented by the palm- 
er, or by three fourths of the dressed flies in use? An arti- 
ficial fly can, at the best, be considered only as the represent- 
ative of a natural one which has been drowned, as it is im- 
possible to imitate the dancing or hovering flight of the in- 
sect over the surface of the stream, and, even with that re- 
