182 Fisuine 1s American WATERS. 
or less necessary to success. This is the case at the pool and 
rapids below the middle dam at the head of Rapid River, and 
half a mile below Middle Dam Camp, where a large shoal of 
—apparently edueated—trout keep leaping and tumbling so 
that from fifty to a hundred speckled beauties of from two to 
five pounds’ weight are always in sight. But it used to be 
said that they would not take an artificial fly ; so, school-boy 
like, the guests at the camp sent every angler, on his arrival, 
to “try below the dam,” as a sell. It pleased them to see a 
fresh man’s face glow at the first sight of those sportive beau- 
ties, which acted as if half in coquetry and half in defiance 
of anglers. I felt thankful when witnessing the self-denying 
hospitality which prompted several anglers, who were entire 
strangers to me, to cease angling opposite the camp for the 
sole purpose of showing me a pool full of very anxious trout. 
They left after I had tried in vain to coax a favorable notice 
at one cast of flies. I changed my cast several times, and 
then rested the pool to allow them to change their minds or 
whet their appetites, until J devoted in that way about two 
days, to the amusement of the anglers at the camp, and final- 
ly began to think that the stories I had heard about the sa- 
gacity of those trout were true. On my return to camp aft- 
er each trial below the dam, I saw that my brethren of the 
angle were interested in my efforts by their furtive glances 
and sly winks at each other as they anxiously inquired what 
sport I had enjoyed. But all their jokes fell short, for my 
mind was with the sparkling beauties below the dam. After 
having exhausted my fly-books of their attractive lures, I 
concluded to repair to the dam and study the trout. There 
they were, apparently as jolly as ever, rolling, tumbling, and 
leaping about the surface of the clear, curling pool. I had 
not sat long on the dam, and peered into the sparkling eddies 
below, before I saw a trout rise gracefully and swallow an 
ash-colored midge which had floated down from the dam. 
On looking around me, I saw a cloud of drab ephemera, rath- 
er larger than musquitoes, swarming over the dry timber 
