Chapt. v. Commanding chub. Lordly trout. 71 



quently with more fairness, whether or not there are 

 any indications of their exercising the power which they 

 may well possess. 



I instance first the example above given of a large 

 fish deterring smaller ones from anticipating him in the 

 matter of food; and I beg a reperusal of those remarks 

 with less incredulity and more seriousness, than was 

 given to them before. I have seen the same with Chub 

 also, as well as with Mahseer. I have seen six or eight 

 Chub attracted by my floating cock-chafer, and apparent- 

 ly meditating taking it, when they hung back, divided, 

 and made way for a comparatively much larger Chub of 

 2| lbs., who sailed majestically up to the bait, and took 

 it leisurely down, with a seeming confidence that the others 

 would not presume to anticipate him. He must have 

 made them understand, even though he came from behind 

 them, that he desired to have that cock-chafer himself, 

 and he must have felt confident that he had expressed 

 himself explicitly, and would be attended to. The same 

 conclusion seems to be pointed at by the frequently deli- 

 berate way in which a large trout sucks down his fly, 

 in contradistinction to the hurried dart of the smaller 

 trout. 



Furthermore how is it that when a river is much 

 whipped, the fish all get very shy? I do not suppose they 

 have all been pricked by the hook and got away, so as 

 to have gained wisdom each by personal experience. 

 Surely there are too many thousands in the river for 

 that, and too many more thousands fresh born every 



