22 TROUT FISHING 



scepticism was justified by experiments. 

 He caught salmon with flies which in 

 regard to colour repudiated all local 

 traditions. That, however, does not 

 warrant any definite conclusion. As 

 there is no insect in the least resembling 

 a salmon-fly, it seems absurd to suppose 

 that in taking it the fish is thinking of 

 insects at all. There are at least two 

 possibilities. In the first place, it is con- 

 ceivable that, without knowing what the 

 lure is like, the fish may snap at it in 

 curiosity or in anger. This conjecture, 

 originally broached by The Spectator in a 

 discussion with Mr. Andrew Lang, is not 

 obviously untenable. Many observers, 

 among whom is Sir Herbert Maxwell 

 himself, think that salmon take no food 

 after they quit the sea for the fresh water. 

 If that be so, in snapping at the fly the 

 fish cannot be seeking something to 

 eat, and must be acting upon a purely 

 emotional impulse. In the second place, 

 it is conceivable that, while there is no 

 insect resembling a salmon-fly, the lure 



