ARE TROUT CUNNING ? 137 



self. That is their natural safeguard. 

 If they always felt an impulse towards 

 our lures, soon there would be very few 

 of them left. Nature preserves their 

 species by providing on most days of the 

 season an atmospherical sanctuary. 



Still, I am confident that many a bad 

 day would be not quite so bad if only we 

 had a wider and more accurate knowledge 

 of flies. Many a time does one fish for 

 two or three hours before, after changes 

 of casts, the proper fly is brought into 

 play. Then the sport is frequently so 

 good that one is tempted to think that 

 there would never be a blank day if only 

 one were nearer complete knowledge of 

 the flies. If the right fly for the day 

 were always on the water punctually, 

 Nature herself would give us the broadest 

 of hints ; but, especially on lakes. Nature 

 is frequently taciturn. It is not unreason- 

 able to think that there is a right fly for 

 every day ; but one has usually to find 

 it for oneself This is not altogether to 

 be deplored. In sport, as in philosophy, 



