KINSHIP WITH THE ARTS 25 



reached the wariest familiarity with the 

 angler's wiles ; and found just as good 

 sport as he could have hoped for had the 

 flies been of the greenish-yellow hue. 

 This was startling news. It disturbed 

 many minds beyond all hope of reassur- 

 ance. If trout could not tell red from 

 yellow, or did not care whether a Mayfly 

 was one or was the other, clearly all the 

 thought and pains embodied in the mani- 

 fold treasures of one's fly -book were 

 wasted, and pride in one's beautiful 

 possessions must crumble in chagrin. 

 Why search the Indies and the Far East 

 for hackles if feathers which would do as 

 well were to be found in the nearest 

 poultry -yard ? Indeed, if trout did not 

 know one colour from another, or paid no 

 attention to colour at all, was not the 

 angler's subtlety a delusion, and the sport 

 reduced to the level of the laborious 

 handicrafts ? 



It has taken one a long time to re- 

 cover from these misgivings ; but hope 

 revives. The trout that took the red 



