KINSHIP WITH THE ARTS 27 



to fly. In summer and autumn the red- 

 deer, which can scent a man two or three 

 miles off", wUl, the moment they are 

 conscious of his neighbourhood, trot 

 other miles away from him ; yet when 

 the snows of winter cover the heather, 

 they will come down into the glens and 

 beg fodder from the farmers. At all 

 times of the year, sparrows, finches, and 

 other such small birds fight shy of man ; 

 yet if in winter, when food is scarce, you 

 throw aniseed to them, suddenly, with a 

 wild whirring of wings and other signs of 

 uncontrollable excitement, they will flutter 

 about you, some of them even resting on 

 your shoulders to ask for more. 



Why should it be considered absurd to 

 assume that trout may be occasionally 

 capable of a similar departure from their 

 habitual reserve ? If they are not, they 

 differ from most other wild animals with 

 whose instincts we have a fairly complete 

 acquaintance ; and to assume this would 

 be more flagrantly unnatural than assum- 

 ing that, in common with animals of other 



