,transcriber's ,note ,when italics were used in the original book1 the corresponding text has been surrounded by underscores4 ,some corrections have been made to the printed text4 ,these are listed in a second transcriber's note at the end of the text4 ,,salmonia3 ,,or ,,days ,,of ,,fly ,,fishing4 ,,in ,a ,,series ,,of ,,conversations4 ,,with ,,some ,,account ,,of ,,the ,,habits ,,of ,,fishes ,,belonging ,,to ,,the ,,genus ,,salmo4 ,,by ,,an ,,angler4 ----8,equidem credo quia sit divinitus illis ,ingenium40 ,,first ,,american ,,from ,,the ,,second ,,london ,,edition4 ,,philadelphia3 ,,carey ,,and ,,lea--,,chesnut ,,street4 44444444 #ahcb4 ,e4 ,,merriam ,,and ,,co4 ,,printers1 ,brookfield1 ,mass4 ,,to ,,william ,,babington1 ,m4,d4 ,f4,r4,s4 ,,these ,,conversations ,,are ,,dedicated1 ,,in ,,remembrance ,,of ,,some ,,delightful ,,days ,,passed ,,in ,,his ,,society1 ,,and ,,in ,,gratitude ,,for ,,an ,,uninterrupted ,,friendship ,,of ,a ,,quarter ,,of ,a ,,century4 ,,preface4 ,,these pages formed the occupation of the ,author during some months of severe and dangerous illness1 when he was wholly incapable of attending to more useful studies1 or of following more serious pursuits4 ,they constituted his amusement in many hours1 which otherwise would have been unoccupied and tedious2 and they are published in the hope1 that they may possess an interest for those persons1 who derive pleasure from the simplest and most attainable kind of rural sports1 and who practice the art1 or patronize the objects of contemplation1 of the ,philosophical ,angler4 ,the conversational manner and discursive style were chosen as best suited to the state of health of the ,author1 who was incapable of considerable efforts and long-continued attention2 and he could not but have in mind a model1 which has fully proved the utility and popularity of this method of treating the subject--,the ,complete ,angler1 by ,walton and ,cotton4 ,the characters1 chosen to support these ,conversations1 are--,,halieus1 who is supposed to be an accomplished fly fisher2 ,,ornither1 who is to be regarded as a gentleman generally fond of the sports of the field1 though not a finished master of the art of angling2 ,,poietes1 who is to be considered as an enthusiastic lover of nature1 and partially acquainted with the mysteries of fly fishing2 and ,,physicus1 who is described uninitiated as an angler1 but as a person fond of inquiries in natural history and philosophy4 ,these personages are of course imaginary1 though the sentiments attributed to them1 the ,author may sometimes have gained from recollections of real conversations with friends1 from whose society much of the happiness of his early life has been derived2 and in the portrait of the character of ,,halieus1 given in the last dialogue1 a likeness1 he thinks1 will not fail to be recognized to that of the character of a most estimable ,physician1 ardently beloved by his friends1 and esteemed and venerated by the public4 ,he has limited his description of fish to the varieties of the ,salmo most usual in the fresh waters of ,europe1 and which may be defined as a genus having eight fins1 the one above the tail fleshy1 and without spines4 ,it is to be hoped ,m4 ,cuvier's new work on fishes will supply accurate information on this genus1 which is still very imperfectly known4 ,laybach1 ,illyria1 ,sep4 #cj1 #ahbh4 ,,contents4 ,,first ,,day4 ,vindication of fly-fishing--,poem in praise of ,walton--,distinguished anglers--,fishing1 a natural1 philosophical1 and scientific pursuit--,scenery--,fish possessed of little sensibility--,praise of fly-fishing--,field-sports related to natural history--,proposed fishing excursion--,comparison of a river to human life ,page #ac-bi ,,second ,,day4 ,trout fishing--,flies--,may-fly and gray drake--,alder fly--,object of fishing--,escape of a fish after being hooked--,sense of smelling in fish--,baits--,the natural fly--,pricked trout--,local habits of animals--,trout of the ,colne--,throwing the fly--,trout described--,spots on trout--,perch--,anecdote--,haunts of trout--,evening fishing--,management of a fish when hooked--,flies of different seasons--,fishing season--,difference of the gillaroo from trout--,diminution of flies in some rivers--,gillaroo trout found only in ,ireland--,par or samlet--,other varieties of trout--,dr4 ,darwin--,experiment on trout by ,mr4 ,tonkin of ,polgaron--,cause of the varieties of trout--,mule fish--,crossing the breed--,impregnation of the ova of fish--,experiment of ,mr4 ,jacobi on this point--,causes that hasten or retard the maturity of the ova--,why fish approach shallows to spawn--,admiration of the designs of ,providence #cj-ia ,,third ,,day4 ,morning fishing--,effect of shadows in fishing--,anecdotes illustrating the effect of sunshine--,swallows #ib-ih ,,fourth ,,day4 ,scenery--,loch ,maree--,eagles--,the inn--,the river ,ewe--,sea trout--,poaching highlander--,salmon--,cause of fish being drowned--,salmon--,death by suffocation--,nature of pain--,instances of death without pain--,sea trout--,crimping--,the dinner--,the double snipe--,value of temperance in eating and drinking--,wading in boots a bad practice--,salmon and trout compared--,varieties of salmon #ii-acb ,,fifth ,,day4 ,salmon fishing--,produce of a morning's sport--,rivers of ,norway and ,sweden--,english rivers--,salmon rivers--,scotch rivers--,irish rivers--,the ,sabbath day--,instincts--,instincts to animals what revelation is to man #acc-agj ,,sixth ,,day4 ,flies--,hooks--,salmon of the ,ewe--,sense of smelling in animals--,salmon fishing with pars--,food of ,salmon--,indications of rainy weather--,omens #aga-aia ,,seventh ,,day4 ,grayling--,anatomy of the grayling--,grayling fishing--,scenery--,habits of the grayling--,grayling rivers--,baits for grayling--,generation of eels--,migration of eels--,the conger eel #aib-bbe ,,eighth ,,day4 ,scenery--,natural history--,origin of the common house fly--,bees and ants--,the libellula--,ephemer--,michaelmas daisy--,humble bee--,thoughts on death1 suggested by this insect #bbf-bdc ,,ninth ,,day4 ,fishing for hucho--,hereditary instinct--,causes of variety in trout--,salmo hucho--,taking a salmo hucho--,resemblance of the hucho to trout--,interior of the hucho examined--,habits of the hucho--,pleasure of angling--,cockney fishermen--,lame boy and his boats--,amusements--,sea serpent--,kraken--,mermaid--,austrian method of conveying fish--,education--,the press--,effect of continuous fishing--,difference of rivers--,angling for frogs--,water ouzel--,umbla--,laveret--,organization of the hucho--,craniology--,fat and flesh of the hucho--,naturalization of fish--,the ,traun--,colour of water--,colour of the ocean--,waterfalls--,reflections--,the late ,mr4 ,b4 ,west #bde-cjh ,,additional ,,notes4 ,estimable mention of ,dr4 ,wollaston--,on the supposed cross breed of the par--,on the scolopax #cji ,,salmonia3 ,,or1 ,,days ,,of ,,fly ,,fishing4 ,,first ,,day4 ,,halieus--,,poietes--,,physicus--,,orni ther4 ,,introductory ,,conversation--,,symposiac4 ,scene1 ,london4 ,,phys4--,,halieus1 ,i dare say you know where this excellent trout was caught3 ,i never ate a better fish of the kind4 ,,hal4--,i ought to know1 as it was this morning in the waters of the ,wandle1 not ten miles from the place where we sit1 and it is through my means that you see it at table4 ,,phys4--,of your own catching8 ,,hal4--,yes1 with the artificial fly4 ,,phys4--,i admire the fish1 but ,i cannot admire the art by which it was taken2 and ,i wonder how a man of your active mind and enthusiastic character can enjoy what appears to me a stupid and melancholy occupation4 ,,hal4--,i might as well wonder in my turn1 that a man of your discursive imagination and disposition to contemplation should not admire this occupation1 and that you should venture to call it either stupid or melancholy4 ,,phys4--,i have at least the authority of a great moralist1 ,johnson1 for its folly4 ,,hal4--,i will allow no man1 however great a philosopher1 or moralist1 to abuse an occupation he has not tried2 and as well as ,i remember1 this same illustrious person praised the book and the character of the great ,patriarch of ,anglers1 ,isaac ,walton4 ,,phys4--,there is another celebrated man1 however1 who has abused this your patriarch1 ,lord ,byron1 and that in terms not very qualified4 ,he calls him1 as well as ,i can recollect1 8,a quaint old cruel coxcomb40#a ,i must say1 a practice of this great fisherman1 where he recommends you to pass the hook through the body of a frog with care1 as though you loved him1 in order to keep him alive longer1 cannot but be considered as cruel4 ,,hal4--,i do not justify either the expression or the practice of ,walton in this instance2 but remember1 ,i fish only with inanimate baits1 or imitations of them1 and ,i will not exhume or expose the ashes of the dead1 nor vindicate the memory of ,walton1 at the expense of ,byron1 who1 like ,johnson1 was no fisherman3 but the moral and religious habits of ,walton1 his simplicity of manners1 and his well-spent life1 exonerate him from the charge of cruelty2 and the book of a coxcomb would not have been so great a favourite with most persons of refined taste4 ,a noble lady1 long distinguished at court for pre-eminent beauty and grace1 and whose mind possesses undying charms1 has written some lines in my copy of ,walton1 which1 if you will allow me1 ,i will repeat to you4 ,albeit1 gentle ,angler1 ,i ,delight not in thy trade1 ,yet in thy pages there doth lie ,so much of quaint simplicity1 ,so much of mind1 ,of such good kind1 ,that none need be afraid1 ,caught by thy cunning bait1 this book1 ,to be ensnared on thy hook4 ,gladly from thee1 ,i'm lured to bear ,with things that seem'd most vile before1 ,for thou didst on poor subjects rear ,matter the wisest sage might hear4 ,and with a grace1 ,that doth efface ,more labour'd works1 thy simple lore ,can teach us that thy skilful lines1 ,more than the scaly brood confines4 ,our hearts and senses1 too1 we see1 ,rise quickly at thy master hand1 ,and1 ready to be caught by thee1 ,are lured to virtue willingly4 ,content and peace1 ,with health and ease1 ,walk by thy side4 ,at thy command ,we bid adieu to worldly care1 ,and joy in gifts that all may share4 ,gladly1 with thee1 ,i pace along1 ,and of sweet fancies dream2 ,waiting till some inspired song1 ,within my memory cherish'd long1 ,comes fairer forth1 ,with more of worth2 ,because that time upon its stream ,feathers and chaff will bear away1 ,but give to gems a brighter ray4 ,c4 ,c4 #ahab4 ,and though the charming and intellectual author of this poem is not an angler herself1 yet ,i can quote the example of her lovely daughters to vindicate fly fishing from the charge of cruelty1 and to prove that the most delicate and refined minds can take pleasure in this innocent amusement4 ,one of these young ladies1 ,i am told1 is a most accomplished and skilful salmon fisher4 ,and if you require a poetical authority against that of ,lord ,byron1 ,i mention the philosophical and powerful poet of the lakes1 and the author of 8,an ,orphic tale indeed1 ,a tale divine1 of high and passionate thoughts1 ,to their own music chanted20#b who is a lover both of fly fishing and fly fishermen4 ,gay's poem you know1 and his passionate fondness for the amusement1 which was his principal occupation in the summer at ,amesbury2 and the late excellent ,john ,tobin1 author of the ,honey ,moon1 was an ardent angler4 ,,phys4--,i am satisfied with your poetical authorities4 ,,hal4--,nay1 ,i can find authorities of all kinds1 statesmen1 heroes1 and philosophers2 ,i can go back to ,trajan1 who was fond of angling4 ,nelson was#c a good fly fisher1 and as a proof of his passion for it1 continued the pursuit even with his left hand4 ,dr4 ,paley was ardently attached to this amusement2 so much so1 that when the ,bishop of ,durham inquired of him1 when one of his most important works would be finished1 he said1 with great simplicity and good humour1 8,my ,lord1 ,i shall work steadily at it when the fly fishing season is over10 as if this were a business of his life4 ,and ,i am rather reserved in introducing living characters1 or ,i could give a list of the highest names of ,britain1 belonging to modern times1 in science1 letters1 arts1 and arms1 who are ornaments of this fraternity1 to use the expression borrowed from the freemasonry of our forefathers4 ,,phys4--,i do not find much difficulty in understanding why warriors1 and even statesmen1 fishers of men1 many of whom ,i have known particularly fond of hunting and shooting1 should likewise be attached to angling2 but ,i own1 ,i am at a loss to find reasons for a love of this pursuit amongst philosophers and poets4 ,,hal4--,the search after food is an instinct belonging to our nature2 and from the savage in his rudest and most primitive state1 who destroys a piece of game1 or a fish1 with a club or spear1 to man in the most cultivated state of society1 who employs artifice1 machinery1 and the resources of various other animals1 to secure his object1 the origin of the pleasure is similar1 and its object the same3 but that kind of it requiring most art may be said to characterize man in his highest or intellectual state2 and the fisher for salmon and trout with the fly employs not only machinery to assist his physical powers1 but applies sagacity to conquer difficulties2 and the pleasure derived from ingenious resources and devices1 as well as from active pursuit1 belongs to this amusement4 ,then as to its philosophical tendency1 it is a pursuit of moral discipline1 requiring patience1 forbearance1 and command of temper4 ,as connected with natural science1 it may be vaunted as demanding a knowledge of the habits of a considerable tribe of created beings--fishes1 and the animals that they prey upon1 and an acquaintance with the signs and tokens of the weather and its changes1 the nature of waters1 and of the atmosphere4 ,as to its poetical relations1 it carries us into the most wild and beautiful scenery of nature2 amongst the mountain lakes1 and the clear and lovely streams that gush from the higher ranges of elevated hills1 or that make their way through the cavities of calcareous strata4 ,how delightful in the early spring1 after the dull and tedious time of winter1 when the frosts disappear and the sunshine warms the earth and waters1 to wander forth by some clear stream1 to see the leaf bursting from the purple bud1 to scent the odours of the bank perfumed by the violet1 and enamelled1 as it were1 with the primrose and the daisy2 to wander upon the fresh turf below the shade of trees1 whose bright blossoms are filled with the music of the bee2 and on the surface of the waters to view the gaudy flies sparkling like animated gems in the sunbeams1 whilst the bright and beautiful trout is watching them from below2 to hear the twittering of the water-birds1 who1 alarmed at your approach1 rapidly hide themselves beneath the flowers and leaves of the water-lily2 and as the season advances1 to find all these objects changed for others of the same kind1 but better and brighter1 till the swallow and the trout contend as it were for the gaudy ,may fly1 and till in pursuing your amusement in the calm and balmy evening1 you are serenaded by the songs of the cheerful thrush and melodious nightingale1 performing the offices of paternal love1 in thickets ornamented with the rose and woodbine4 ,,phys4--,all these enjoyments might be obtained without the necessity of torturing and destroying an unfortunate animal1 that the true lover of nature would wish to see happy in a scene of loveliness4 ,,hal4--,if all men were ,pythagoreans and professed the ,brahmin's creed1 it would undoubtedly be cruel to destroy any form of animated life2 but if fish are to be eaten1 ,i see no more harm in capturing them by skill and ingenuity with an artificial fly1 than in pulling them out of the water by main force with the net2 and in general1 when taken by the common fishermen1 fish are permitted to die slowly1 and to suffer in the air1 from the want of their natural element2 whereas1 every good angler1 as soon as his fish is landed1 either destroys his life immediately1 if he is wanted for food1 or returns him into the water4 ,,phys4--,but do you think nothing of the torture of the hook1 and the fear of capture1 and the misery of struggling against the powerful rod8 ,,hal4--,i have already admitted the danger of analysing1 too closely1 the moral character of any of our field sports2 yet ,i think it cannot be doubted that the nervous system of fish1 and cold-blooded animals in general1 is less sensitive than that of warm-blooded animals4 ,the hook usually is fixed in the cartilaginous part of the mouth1 where there are no nerves2 and a proof that the sufferings of a hooked fish cannot be great is found in the circumstance1 that though a trout has been hooked and played for some minutes1 he will often1 after his escape with the artificial fly in his mouth1 take the natural fly1 and feed as if nothing had happened2 having apparently learnt only from the experiment1 that the artificial fly is not proper food4 ,and ,i have caught pikes with four or five hooks in their mouths1 and tackle which they had broken only a few minutes before2 and the hooks seemed to have had no other effect than that of serving as a sort of sauce piquante1 urging them to seize another morsel of the same kind4 ,,phys4--,fishes are mute1 and cannot plead1 even in the way that birds and quadrupeds do1 their own cause2 yet the instances you quote only prove the intense character of their appetites1 which seem not so moderate as ,whiston imagined1 in his strange philosophical romance on the ,deluge2 in which he supposes1 that in the antediluvian world the heat was much greater than in this1 and that all terrestrial and aerial animals had their passions so exalted by this high temperature1 that they were lost in sin1 and destroyed for their crimes2 but that fish1 living in a cooler element1 were more correct in their lives1 and were therefore spared from the destruction of the primitive world4 ,you have proved1 by your examples1 the intensity of the appetite of hunger in fishes2 ,spalanzani has given us another proof of the violence of a different appetite1 or instinct1 in a cold-blooded animal1 that has most of the habits of the genus--the frog2 which1 in the breeding season1 remains attached to the female1 though a limb1 or even his head1 is removed from the body4 ,,hal4--,this is likewise in favour of my argument1 that the sensibility of this class of animals to physical pain is comparatively small4 ,,phys4--,the advocates for a favourite pursuit never want sophisms to defend it4 ,i have even heard it asserted1 that a hare enjoys being hunted4 ,yet ,i will allow that fly-fishing1 after your vindication1 appears amongst the least cruel of field-sports2--,i can go no farther2 as ,i have never thought of trying it1 ,i can say nothing of its agreeableness as an amusement1 compared with hunting and shooting4 ,,hal4--,i wish that you would allow me to convince you1 that for a contemplative man1 as you are1 and a lover of nature1 it is far superior1 more tranquil1 more philosophical1 and1 after the period of early youth1 more fitted for a moderately active body and mind1 requiring less violent exertion2 and1 pursued with discretion1 affording an exercise conducive to health4 ,there is a river1 only a few miles off1 where ,i am sure ,i could obtain permission for you1 and our friend ,poietes1 to fish4 ,,phys4--,i am open to conviction on all subjects1 and have no objection to spend one ,may-day with you in this idle occupation2 premising1 that you take at least one other companion1 who really loves fishing4 ,,hal4--,you1 who are so fond of natural history1 even should you not be amused by fishing1 will1 ,i am sure1 find objects of interest on the banks of the river4 ,,phys4--,i fear ,i am not entomologist enough to follow the life of the ,may-fly1 but ,i shall willingly have my attention directed to its habits4 ,indeed1 ,i have often regretted that sportsmen were not fonder of zoology2 they have so many opportunities1 which other persons do not possess1 of illustrating the origin and qualities of some of the most curious forms of animated nature2 the causes and character of the migrations of animals2 their relations to each other1 and their place and order in the general scheme of the universe4 ,it has always appeared to me1 that the two great sources of change of place of animals1 was the providing of food for themselves1 and resting-places and food for their young4 ,the great supposed migrations of herrings from the poles to the temperate zone have appeared to me to be only the approach of successive shoals from deep to shallow water1 for the purpose of spawning4 ,the migrations of salmon and trout are evidently for the purpose of depositing their ova1 or of finding food after they have spawned4 ,swallows1 and bee-eaters1 decidedly pursue flies over half the globe2 the scolopax or snipe tribe1 in like manner1 search for worms and larv1--flying from those countries where either frost or dryness prevents them from boring1--making generally small flights at a time1 and resting on their travels where they find food4 ,and a journey from ,england to ,africa is no more for an animal that can fly1 with the wind1 one hundred miles in an hour1 than a journey for a ,londoner to his seat in a distant province4 ,and the migrations of smaller fishes or birds always occasion the migration of larger ones1 that prey on them4 ,thus1 the seal follows the salmon1 in summer1 to the mouths of rivers2 the hake follows the herring and pilchard2 hawks are seen in great quantities1 in the month of ,may1 coming into the east of ,europe1 after quails and land-rails2 and locusts are followed by numerous birds1 that1 fortunately for the agriculturist1 make them their prey4 ,,hal4--,it is not possible to follow the amusement of angling1 without having your attention often directed to the modes of life of fishes1 insects1 and birds1 and many curious and interesting facts1 as it were1 forced upon your observation4 ,i consider you 7,physicus71 as pledged to make one of our fishing party2 and ,i hope1 in a few days1 to give you an invitation to meet a few worthy friends on the banks of the ,colne4 ,and you 7,poietes71 who1 ,i know1 are an initiated disciple of ,walton's school1 will1 ,i trust1 join us4 ,we will endeavour to secure a fine day2 two hours1 in a light carriage with good horses1 will carry us to our ground2 and ,i think ,i can promise you green meadows1 shady trees1 the song of the nightingale1 and a full and clear river4 ,,poiet4--,this last is1 in my opinion1 the most poetical object in nature4 ,i will not fail to obey your summons4 ,pliny has1 as well as ,i recollect1 compared a river to human life4 ,i have never read the passage in his works1 but ,i have been a hundred times struck with the analogy1 particularly amidst mountain scenery4 ,the river1 small and clear in its origin1 gushes forth from rocks1 falls into deep glens1 and wantons and meanders through a wild and picturesque country1 nourishing only the uncultivated tree or flower by its dew or spray4 ,in this1 its state of infancy and youth1 it may be compared to the human mind in which fancy and strength of imagination are predominant--it is more beautiful than useful4 ,when the different rills or torrents join1 and descend into the plain1 it becomes slow and stately in its motions2 it is applied to move machinery1 to irrigate meadows1 and to bear upon its bosom the stately barge2--in this mature state1 it is deep1 strong1 and useful4 ,as it flows on towards the sea1 it loses its force and its motion1 and at last1 as it were1 becomes lost1 and mingled with the mighty abyss of waters4 ,,hal4--,one might pursue the metaphor still further1 and say1 that in its origin--its thundering and foam1 when it carries down clay from the bank1 and becomes impure1 it resembles the youthful mind1 affected by dangerous passions4 ,and the influence of a lake1 in calming and clearing the turbid water1 may be compared to the effect of reason in more mature life1 when the tranquil1 deep1 cool and unimpassioned mind is freed from its fever1 its troubles1 bubbles1 noise and foam4 ,and1 above all1 the sources of a river--which may be considered as belonging to the atmosphere--and its termination in the ocean1 may be regarded as imaging the divine origin of the human mind1 and its being ultimately returned to1 and lost in1 the ,infinite and ,eternal ,intelligence from which it originally sprung4 ,,second ,,day4 ,,halieus--,,poietes--,,ornither--,,phys icus4 ,,trout ,,fishing1 ,,denham4--,,may1 #ahaj4 ,morning4 ,,hal4--,i ,,am delighted to see you1 my worthy friends1 on the banks of the ,colne2 and am happy to be able to say1 that my excellent host has not only made you free of the river for this day's angling1 but insists upon your dining with him1--wishes you to try the evening fishing1 and the fishing to-morrow morning1--and proposes to you1 in short1 to give up twenty-four hours to the delights of an angler's ,may-day4 ,,poiet4--,we are deeply indebted to him2 and ,i hardly know how we can accept his offer1 without laying ourselves under too great an obligation4 ,,hal4--,fear not3 he is as noble minded a man as ever delighted in good offices2 and so benevolent1 that ,i am sure he will be almost as happy in knowing you are amused1 as you can be in your sport2 and he hopes for an additional satisfaction in the pleasure of your conversation4 ,,poiet4--,so let it be4 ,,hal4--,i will take you to the house2 you shall make your bow1 and then you will be all free to follow your own fancies4 ,remember1 the dinner hour is five2 the dressing bell rings at half-past four2 be punctual to this engagement1 from which you will be free at seven4 ,,poiet4--,this is really a very charming villa scene1 ,i may almost say1 a pastoral scene4 ,the meadows have the verdure which even the ,londoners enjoy as a peculiar feature of the ,english landscape4 ,the river is clear1 and has all the beauties of a trout stream1 of the larger size1--there rapid1 and here still1 and there tumbling in foam and fury over abrupt dams upon clean gravel1 as if pursuing a natural course4 ,and that island with its poplars and willows1 and the flies making it their summer paradise1 and its little fishing-house1 are all in character2 and if not extremely picturesque1 it is at least a very pleasant scene1 from its verdure and pure waters1 for the lovers of our innocent amusement4 ,,hal4-,it is ten o'clock3 you may put up your rods1 or take rods from the hall1 for so hospitable is the master of this mansion1 that every thing is supplied to our hands4 ,and ,physicus1 as you are the only one of our party ignorant of the art of fly fishing1 ,i will fit you with a rod and flies2 and let me advise you to begin with a line shorter than your rod1 and throw at first slowly and without effort1 and imitate us as well as you can4 ,as for precepts1 they are of little value2 practice and imitation will make you an angler4 ,,poiet4--,i shall put together my rod1 and fish with my own flies4 ,it may be fancy1 but ,i always think ,i do best with tackle with which ,i am used to fish4 ,,hal4--,you are right2 for fancy is always something3 and when we believe that we can do things better in a particular way1 we really do1 by the influence of imagination1 perform them both better and with less effort4 ,i agree with moralists1 that the standard of virtue should be placed higher than any one can reach2 for in trying to rise1 man will attain a more excellent state of being than if no effort were made4 ,but to our business4 ,as far as the perfection of the material for the angler is concerned1 the flies you find on this table are as good as can be made1 and for this season of the year1 there is no great variety on this river4 ,we have had lately some warm days1 and though it is but the #ahth of ,may1 yet ,i know the ,may-fly has been out for three or four days1 and this is the best period of this destructive season for the fisherman4 ,there are1 ,i observe1 many male flies on the high trees1 and some females on the alders4 ,,phys4--,but ,i see flies already on the water1 which seem of various colors1--brown and gray1 and some very pale1--and the trout appear to rise at them eagerly4 ,,hal4--,the fly you see is called by fishermen the alder fly1 and appears generally in large quantities before the ,may-fly4 ,imitations of this fly1 and of the green and the gray drake of different shades1 are the only ones you will need this morning1 though ,i doubt if the last can be much used1 as the gray drake is not yet on the water in any quantity4 ,,phys4--,pray can you give us any account of these curious little animals8 ,,hal4--,we ought to draw upon your stores of science for information on these subjects4 ,,phys4--,i really know nothing of ,entomology1 but ,i am desirous of acquiring knowledge4 ,,hal4--,i have made few observations on flies as a philosophical naturalist4 ,what ,i know ,i will state at another time4 ,but see1 the green drake is descending upon the water1 and some are leaving the alders to sport in the sunshine1 and to enjoy the pleasures of their brilliant1 though short existence2 and their life1 naturally ephemeral1 is made one of scarcely a moment1 by the fishes and birds3 that which the swallow or the duck spares is caught by the fish4 ,the fly is new1 and in the imitation1 ,i recommend the olive tint1 or what the ,irish call the green monkey4 ,that is1 an artificial fly1 with a wing of dyed yellow drake's feather1 a body of yellow monkey's fur1 and a small quantity of olive mohair for legs4 ,for myself1 ,i shall fish for some time with a large red alder fly1 and ,i dare say1 with as much success4 ,that is1 with a fly with a dark peacock's harle for body1 a red hackle for legs1 and wings of the land-rail below1 and starling above4 ,,poiet4--,the water is quite in motion1 what noble fish ,i see on the feed6 ,i never beheld a finer sight1 though ,i have often seen the ,may-fly on well-stocked waters4 ,,hal4--,this river is most strictly preserved2 not a fish has been killed here since last ,august1 and this is the moment when the large fish come to the surface1 and leave their cad bait search and minnow hunting4 ,but ,i have hardly time to talk2 ,i have hold of a good fish3 they take either alder or ,may-fly1 and having never been fished for this year1 they make no distinction1 and greedily seize any small object in motion on the water4 ,you see the alder-fly is quite as successful as the ,may-fly2 but there is a fish which has refused it1 and because he has been feeding1 glutton-like1 on the ,may-fly3 that is the fifth he has swallowed in a minute4 ,now ,i shall throw the drake a foot above him4 ,it floats down1 and he has taken it4 ,a fine fish2 ,i think at least #dlbs4 ,this is the largest fish we have yet seen1 but in the deep water still lower down1 there are still greater fish4 ,one of #elbs4 ,i have known taken here1 and once a fish a little short only of #flbs4 ,,poiet4--,i have just landed a fish which ,i suppose you will consider as a small one2 yet ,i am tempted to kill him4 ,,hal4--,he is not a fish to kill1 throw him back1 he is much under #blbs41 and1 as ,i ought to have told you before1 we are not allowed to kill any fish of less size2 and ,i am sure we shall all have more than we ought to carry away even of this size4 ,pray put him into the well1 or rather give him to the fisherman to turn back into the water4 ,,poiet4--,i cannot say ,i approve of this manner of fishing3 ,i lose my labour4 ,,hal4--,as the object of your fishing1 ,i hope1 is innocent amusement1 you can enjoy this1 and show your skill in catching the animal2 and if every fish that took the ,may-fly were to be killed1 there would be an end to the sport in the river1 for none would remain for next year4 ,,phys4--,the number of flies seems to increase as the day advances1 and ,i never saw a more animated water scene3 all nature seems alive2 even the water-wagtails have joined the attack upon these helpless and lovely creations from the waters4 ,,hal4--,it is now one o'clock2 and between twelve and three is the time when the ,may-fly rises with most vigour4 ,it is a very warm day1 and with such a quantity of fly1 every fish in the river will probably be soon feeding4 ,see1 below the wear1 there are two or three large trout lately come out2 and from the quiet way in which they swallow their prey1 and from the size of the tranquil undulation that follows their rise1 ,i suspect they are the giants of this river4 ,try if you cannot reach them3 one is near the bank in a convenient place for a throw1 for the water is sufficiently rough to hide the deception1 and these large fish do not take the fly well in calm water1 though with natural flies on the hook they might all be raised4 ,,poiet4--,i have him6 ,alas6 he has broken me1 and carried away half my bottom line4 ,he must have been a fish of #g or #hlbs4 ,what a dash he made6 ,he carried off my fly by main force4 ,,hal4--,you should have allowed your reel to play and your line to run3 you held him too tight4 ,,poiet4--,he was too powerful a fish for my tackle2 and even if ,i had done so1 would probably have broken me by running amongst the weeds4 ,,hal4--,let me tell you1 my friend1 you should never allow a fish to run to the weeds1 or to strike across the stream2 you should carry him always down stream1 keeping his head high1 and in the current4 ,if in a weedy river you allow a large fish to run up stream1 you are almost sure to lose him4 ,there1 ,i have hooked the companion of your lost fish on the other side of the stream1--a powerful creature3 he tries1 you see1 to make way to the weeds1 but ,i hold him tight4 ,,poiet4--,i see you are obliged to run with him1 and have carried him safely through the weeds4 ,,hal4--,i have him now in the rapids on the shallow1 and ,i have no fear of losing him1 unless he strikes the hook out of his mouth4 ,,poiet4--,he springs again and again4 ,,hal4--,he is off2 in one of these somersets he detached the steel1 and he now leaps to celebrate his escape4 ,we will leave this place1 where there are more great fish1 and return to it after a while1 when the alarm produced by our operations has subsided4 ,,phys4--,that fish take the artificial fly at all is rather surprising to me1 for in its most perfect form it is but a rude imitation of nature2 and from the greedy manner in which it is seized1 fish1 ,i think1 cannot possess a refined sense of smell1 or any nervous system corresponding to the nasal one in animals that breathe air3 no scent can be given to water by an artificial fly1 or1 at least1 none like that of the natural fly4 ,,hal4--,the principal use of the nostrils in fishes1 ,i believe1 is to assist in the propulsion of water through the gills for performing the office of respiration1 but ,i think there are some nerves in these organs which give fishes a sense of the qualities of the water1 or of substances dissolved in1 or diffused through it1 similar to our sense of smell1 or1 perhaps1 rather our sense of taste1 for there can be no doubt that fishes are attracted by scented pastes and scented worms1 which are sometimes used by anglers that employ ground-baits2 and in old angling-books there are usually receipts for attracting fish in this manner1 and though the absurdity of many of these prescriptions is manifest1 yet ,i do not think this proves that they are entirely useless1 for1 upon such principles1 all the remedies for diseases in the old pharmacopias would be null4 ,with respect to the fly1 as it usually touches the stream by a very small surface1 that of the air-bubbles on the fringes on its legs1 it can scarcely affect the water so as to give it any power of communicating smell4 ,and as you have seen a ripple or motion on the water is necessary to deceive fishes2 and as they look at the fly from below1 they see distinctly only the legs and body1 which1 when the colours are like those of the natural fly1 may easily deceive them2 the wings1 which are the worst imitated parts of the artificial fly1 seldom appear to them1 except through the different refractive power of the moving water and the atmosphere1 and when immersed1 they form masses not unlike the wings of a drowned fly1 or one wetted in rising4 99 99 99 99 99 ,it is now a quarter of an hour since we left the large pool3 let us return to it2 ,i see the fish are again rising4 ,,poiet4--,i am astonished6 ,it appears to me that the very same fish are again feeding4 ,there are two fish rising nearly in the same spot where they rose before3 can they be the same fish8 ,,hal4--,it is very possible4 ,it is not likely that three other fish of that size should occupy the same haunts4 ,,poiet4--,but ,i thought after a fish had been hooked1 he remained sick and sulky for some time1 feeling his wounds uncomfortable4 ,,hal4--,the fish that ,i hooked is not rising in the same place1 and therefore1 probably1 was hurt by the hook2 but one of these fish seems to be the same that carried off your fly1 and it is probable that the hook only struck him in a part of the mouth where there are no nerves2 and that he suffered little at the moment1 and does not now feel his annoyance4 ,,poiet4--,i have seen him take four or five flies3 ,i shall throw over him4 ,there1 he rose1 but refused the fly4 ,he has at least learnt1 from the experiment he has made1 to distinguish the natural from the artificial fly4 ,,hal4--,this1 ,i think1 always happens after a fish has been hooked with an artificial fly4 ,he becomes cautious1 and is seldom caught that year1 at least with the same means in the same pool3 but ,i dare say that fish might be taken with a natural fly2 or1 what is better1 two upon the hook4 ,,poiet4--,pray try him4 ,,hal4--,i am no artist at this kind of angling1 but ,ornither ,i know has fished in ,june with the clubs at ,stockbridge1 where this method of fishing is usual4 ,pray let him try his fortune1 though it is hardly fair play2 and it is rather to endeavour to recover your tackle1 than for the sake of the fish1 that ,i encourage him to make the essay4 ,,poiet4--,pray make no apologies for the trial4 ,such a fish--certainly a monster for this river--should be caught by fair means1 if possible1 but caught by any means4 ,,orn4--,you lost that fish1 and you overrate his size1 as you will see1 if ,i have good luck4 ,i put my live flies on the hook with some regret and some disgust4 ,i will not employ another person to be my minister of cruelty1 as ,i remember a lady of fashion once did1 who was very fond of fishing for perch1 and who employed her daughter1 a little girl of nine years of age1 to pass the hook through the body of the worm6 ,now there is a good wind1 and the fish has just taken a natural fly4 ,i shall drop the flies1 if possible1 within a few inches of his nose4 ,he has risen4 ,he is caught6 ,i must carry him down stream to avoid the bed of weeds above4 ,i now have him on fair ground1 and he fights with vigour4 ,fortunately1 my silk worm gut is very strong1 for he is not a fish to be trifled with4 ,he begins to be tired2 prepare the net4 ,we have him safe1 and see your link hangs to his lower jaw3 the hook had struck the cartilage on the outside of the bone1 and the fly1 probably1 was scarcely felt by him4 ,,phys4--,i am surprised6 ,that fish evidently had discovered that the artificial fly was a dangerous bait1 yet he took the natural fly which was on a hook1 and when the silk-worm gut must have been visible4 ,,hal4--,i do not think he saw either the gut or the hook4 ,in very bright weather and water1 ,i have known very shy fish refuse even a hook baited with the natural fly1 scared probably by some appearance of hook or gut4 ,the vision of fishes when the surface is not ruffled is sufficiently keen4 ,i have seen them rise at gnats so small as to be scarcely visible to my eye4 ,,phys4--,you just now said1 that a fish pricked by the hook of an artificial fly would not usually take it again that season4 ,,hal4--,i cannot be exact on that point3 ,i have known a fish that ,i have pricked retain his station in the river1 and refuse the artificial fly1 day after day1 for weeks together2 but his memory may have been kept awake by this practice1 and the recollection seems local and associated with surrounding objects2 and if a pricked trout is chased into another pool1 he will1 ,i believe1 soon again take the artificial fly4 ,or if the objects around him are changed1 as in ,autumn1 by the decay of weeds1 or by their being cut1 the same thing happens2 and a flood1 or a rough wind1 ,i believe1 assists the fly-fisher1 not merely by obscuring the vision of the fish1 but1 in a river much fished1 by changing the appearance of their haunts3 large trouts almost always occupy particular stations1 under1 or close to1 a large stone or tree2 and1 probably1 most of their recollected sensations are connected with this dwelling4 ,,phys4--,i think ,i understand you1 that the memory of the danger and pain does not last long1 unless there is a permanent sensation with which it can remain associated1--such as the station of the trout2 and that the recollection of the mere form of the artificial fly1 without this association1 is evanescent4 ,,orn4--,you are diving into metaphysics2 yet ,i think1 in fowling1 ,i have observed that the memory of birds is local4 ,a woodcock1 that has been much shot at and scared in a particular wood1 runs to the side where he has usually escaped1 the moment he hears the dogs2 but if driven into a new wood1 he seems to lose his acquired habits of caution1 and becomes stupid4 ,,poiet4--,this great fish1 that ,ornither has just caught1 must be nearly of the weight ,i assigned to him4 ,,hal4--,o no6 he is1 ,i think1 above #elbs41 but not #flbs42 but we can form a more correct opinion by measuring him1 which ,i can easily do1 the but of my rod being a measure4 ,he measures1 from nose to fork1 a very little less than twenty-four inches1 and1 consequently1 upon the scale which is appropriate to well-fed trouts1 should weigh #elbs4 #ajoz4--which1 within an ounce1 ,i doubt not1 is his weight4 ,,phys4--,o6 ,i see you take the mathematical law1 that similar solids are to each other in the triplicate ratio of one of their dimensions4 ,,hal4--,you are right4 ,,phys4--,but ,i think you are below the mark1 for this appears to me an extraordinarily thick fish4 ,,hal4--,he is a well-fed fish1 but1 in proportion1 not so thick as my model1 which was a fish of #ag inches by #i inches1 and weighed #blbs42 this is my standard solid4 ,we will try him4 ,ho6 ,mrs4 ,b46--bring your scales1 and weigh this fish4 ,there1 you see1 he weighs #elbs4 #ajoz4 ,,phys4--,well1 ,i am pleased to see this fish1 and amused with your sport2 but though ,i have been imitating you in throwing the fly1 as well as ,i can1 yet not a trout has taken notice of my fly1 and they seem scared by my appearance4 ,,hal4--,let me see you perform4 ,there are two good trout taking flies opposite that bank1 which you can reach4 ,you threw too much line into the water1 and scared them both2 but ,i will take you to the rapid of the ,tumbling ,bay1 where the river falls2 there the quickness of the stream will prevent your line from falling deep1 and the foam will conceal your person from the view of the fish4 ,and let me advise you to fish only in the rapids till you have gained some experience in throwing the fly4 ,there are several fish rising in that stream4 ,,phys4--,i have raised one1 but he refused my fly4 ,,hal4--,now you have a fish4 ,,phys4--,i am delighted2--but he is a small one4 ,,hal4--,unluckily it is a dace4 ,,phys4--,i have now a larger fish1 which has pulled my line out4 ,,hal4--,give him time4 ,that is a good trout4 ,now wind up2 he is tired1 and your own4 ,i will land him4 ,he is a fish to keep1 being above #blbs4 ,,phys4--,i am well pleased4 ,,hal4--,there are many larger trouts here3 go on fishing and you will hook some of them4 ,and when you are tired of this rapid1 you will find another a quarter of a mile below4 ,and continue to fish with a short line1 and drop your fly1 or let it be carried by the wind on the water1 as lightly as possible4 ,well1 ,poietes1 what success8 ,,poiet4--,i have been fishing in the stream above2 but the flies are so abundant1 that the large fish will not take my artificial fly1 and ,i have caught only three fish1 all of which the fisherman has thrown into the water1 though ,i am sure one of them was more than #blbs4 ,,hal4--,you may trust his knowledge3 with a new angler1 our keeper would be apt rather to favour the fisherman than the fish4 ,but we will have all fish you wish to be killed1 and above #blbs41 put into the well of the boat1 where they can be examined1 and1 if you desire1 weighed and measured1 and such kept as are worth keeping4 ,no good angler should kill a fish1 if possible1 till he is needed to be crimped2 for the sooner he is dressed after this operation the better2--and ,i assure you1 a well-fed trout of the ,colne1 crimped and cooled ten minutes before he is wanted for the kettle or the gridiron1 is a fish little inferior to the best salmon of the best rivers4 ,it is now nearly two o'clock1 and there is a cloud over the sun2 the fly is becoming less abundant2 you are now likely1 ,poietes1 to have better sport4 ,try in that deep pool1 below the ,tumbling ,bay2 ,i see two or three good fish rising there1 and there is a lively breeze4 ,the largest fish refuses your fly again and again2 try the others4 ,there1 you have hooked him2 now carry him down stream1 and keep his head high1 out of the weeds4 ,he plunges and fights with great force2--he is the best-fed fish ,i have yet seen at the end of the line1 and will weigh more in proportion to his length4 ,i will land him for you4 ,there he is1--and measures #ai inches2 and ,i dare say his weight is not much short of #clbs4 ,we will preserve him in the well4 ,,poiet4--,he has hardly any spots1 and is silvery all over2 and the whole of the lower part of his body is beautifully clean4 ,,hal4--,he is likewise broad-backed2 and you may observe his few spots are black1 and these are very small4 ,i have always remarked1 in this river1 that the nearer the fish approach to perfection1 the colour of the body becomes more uniform1--pale olive above1 and bright silver below2 and these qualities are always connected with a small head1--or rather1 an oval body1 and deep-red flesh4 ,,poiet4--,may not the red spots be marks of disease--a hectic kind of beauty8 ,for ,i observed in a very thin and poor fish1 and great-headed1 that ,i caught an hour ago1 which had leeches sticking to it1 a number of red spots1 and a long black back1 and black or bluish marks even on the belly4 ,,hal4--,i do not think red spots a symptom of disease2 for ,i have seen fish in other rivers1 and even small fish in this river1 in perfectly good season1 with red spots2 but the colours of fish are very capricious1 and depend upon causes which cannot be easily defined4 ,the colouring matter is not in the scales1 but in the surface of the skin immediately beneath them1 and is probably a secretion easily affected by the health of the animal4 ,i have known fish1 from some lakes in ,ireland1 mottled in a most singular way1--their colour being like that of the tortoise3 the nature of the water1 exposure to the light1 and probably the kind of food1 produce these effects4 ,i think it possible1 when trout feed much on hard substances1 such as larv and their cases1 and the ova of other fish1 they have more red spots1 and redder fins4 ,this is the case with the gillaroo and the char1 who feed on analogous substances3 and the trout1 that have similar habits1 might be expected to resemble them4 ,when trout feed most on small fish1 as minnows1 and on flies1 they have more tendency to become spotted with small black spots1 and are generally more silvery4 ,the ,colne trout are1 in their advanced state1 of this kind2 and so are the trout called in ,ireland buddocks and dolochans1 found in ,loch ,neah4 ,particular character becomes hereditary1 and the effects of a peculiar food influence the appearance of the next generation4 ,i hope1 ,ornither1 you have had good sport4 ,,orn4--,excellent6 ,since you left me1 below the wear1 ,i have hooked at least fifteen or twenty good fish1 and landed and saved eight above #blbs42 but ,i have taken no fish like the great one which ,i caught by poaching with the natural flies4 ,the trout rose wonderfully well within the last quarter of an hour1 but they are now all still2 and the river1 which was in such active motion1 is now perfectly quiet1 and seems asleep and almost dead4 ,,hal4--,it is past four o'clock1 and some dark1 heavy clouds are come on1--the fly is off4 ,it is almost the hour for the signal of the dressing bell2 and there is nothing more to be done now till evening4 ,but see6 our host is come to examine our fish in the well1 and to enquire about our sport2 and1 ,i dare say1 will order some of our fish to be dressed for the table4 ,,host4--,i hope1 gentlemen1 you have been amused8 ,,hal4--,most highly1 sir4 ,as a proof of it1 there are in the fish-well eighteen good trout1--and one not much short of #flbs42 three above #dlbs41 and four above #clbs4 in weight4 ,i hope you will order that great fish for your dinner4 ,,host4--,we will see4 ,he is a fine fish1 and fit for a present1 even for a prince--and you shall take him to a prince4 ,here is a fish1 and there another1 of the two next sizes1 which ,i am sure will cut red4 ,prepare them1 fisherman4 ,and1 ,halieus1 you shall catch two or three perch1 for another dish2 ,i know there are some good ones below the piles of the wear2 ,i saw them hunting small fish there yesterday morning4 ,some minnows1 ho6--and the perch rods6 ,,hal4--,i am tired1 sir1 and would willingly avoid minnow fishing after such a morning's sport4 ,,host4--,come1 then1 ,i will be a fisher for the table4 ,i have one--and another1 that will weigh nearly a pound apiece4 ,now1 there is a cunning perch that has stolen my minnow2 ,i know he is a large one4 ,he has robbed me again and again2 and if ,i fish on in this way1 with the hook through the upper lip1 will1 ,i dare say1 carry away all the minnows in the kettle4 ,i shall put on a strong small hook1 on a stout1 though fine1 gut1 with slender wire round the top1 and pass the hook through the back fin of the minnow1 and try my sagacity against his4 ,lo6 ,i have him6--and a very strong fish he is1 and gone to the bottom2 but even though the greatest perch in the river1 he cannot bite the gut1--he will soon be tired and taken4 ,he now comes up1 and is landed4 ,he must be above #clbs4--a magnificent perch6 ,kill him and crimp him1 fisherman2 take our two trout1 and the three perch1 to the kitchen1 and let them be dressed as usual4 ,you shall have a good dish of fish1 worthy of such determined anglers4 ,but ,i see one of your party coming up by the side of the river1 who seems tired and out of spirits4 ,,hal4--,it is ,physicus1 who has this day commenced his career as a fly fisher2 and who1 ,i dare say1 has been as successful as the uninitiated generally are4 ,i hope you have followed my advice1 and been fortunate8 ,,phys4--,i caught two trout in the rapid where you left me2 but they were small1 and the fisherman threw them in4 ,below the wear1 in the quick stream1 ,i caught two dace1 and what astonished me very much1 a perch1 which you see here1 and which ,i thought never took the fly4 ,,hal4--,o yes1 sometimes2 and particularly when it is below the surface3 and what more8 ,,phys4--,by creeping on my knees1 and dropping my fly over the bank1 ,i hooked a very large fish which ,i saw rising1 and which was like a salmon2 but he was too strong for my tackle1 ran out all my line1 and at last broke off by entangling my link in a post in the river4 ,i have been very unlucky6 ,i am sure that fish was larger than the great one ,ornither took with the natural fly4 ,,hal4--,come1 you have been initiated1 and ,i see begin to take an interest in the sport1 and ,i do not despair of your becoming a distinguished angler4 ,,phys4--,with time and some patience3 but ,i am sorry ,i tortured that enormous fish without taking him4 ,,hal4--,i dare say he was a large fish2 but ,i have known very correct1 and even cool1 reasoners in error on a point of this kind4 ,you are acquainted with ,chemicus2 he is not an ardent fisherman1 and certainly not addicted to romance2 ,i will tell you an anecdote respecting him4 ,he accompanied me to this very spot last year1 on a visit to our host1 and preferred angling for pike to fly fishing4 ,after the amusement of a morning1 he brought back with him to the house one pike1 and with some degree of disappointment complained that he had hooked another of an enormous size1 which carried off his tackle by main force1 and which he was sure must have been above #ajlbs4 ,at dinner1 on the table1 there were two pikes2 one the fish that ,chemicus had caught1 and another a little larger1 somewhat more than #clbs4 ,we put some questions as to who had caught this second pike1 which we found had been taken by our host1 who smiling1 and with some kind of mystery1 asked ,chemicus if he thought it weighed #ajlbs4 ,chemicus refused to acknowledge an identity between such a fish and the monster he had hooked2 when my friend took out of his pocket a paper containing some hooks and tackle carefully wrapped up1 and asked ,chemicus if he had ever seen such an apparatus4 ,chemicus owned they were the hooks and tackle the great fish had carried away4 8,and ,i found them10 said our friend1 8in the mouth of that very little fish which you see on the table1 and which ,i caught half an hour ago40 ,,host4--,i answer for the correctness of this anecdote1 but ,i do not sanction its application to the case of our novitiate in angling4 ,i have seen a fish under that bank where he was so unfortunate1 which ,i am sure was above four pounds1 and which ,i dare say was the subject of his unsuccessful experiment4 ,,poiet4--,from what our host has just said1 ,i conclude1 ,halieus1 that fish do not usually change their stations4 ,,hal4--,large trouts unquestionably do not2--they always hide themselves under the same bank1 stone1 stock1 or weed1 as ,i said this morning before1 and come out from their permanent habitations to feed2 and when they have fled to their haunt1 they may be taken there by the hand2 and on this circumstance the practice of tickling trout is founded4 ,a favourite place for a large trout in rivers is an eddy behind a rock or stone1 where flies and small fishes are carried by the force of the current3 and such haunts are rarely unoccupied2 for if a fish is taken out of one of them1 his place is soon supplied by another1 who quits for it a less convenient situation4 ,,phys4--,so much knowledge and practice is required to become a proficient1 that ,i am afraid it is too late in life for me to begin to learn a new art4 ,,hal4--,do not despair4 ,there was--alas6 that ,i must say there was--an illustrious philosopher1 who was nearly of the age of fifty before he made angling a pursuit1 yet he became a distinguished fly-fisher1 and the amusement occupied many of his leisure hours during the last twelve years of his life4 ,he1 indeed1 applied his pre-eminent acuteness1 his science1 and his philosophy to aid the resources1 and exalt the pleasures of this amusement4 ,i remember to have seen ,dr4 ,wollaston1 a few days after he had become a fly-fisher1 carrying at his buttonhole a piece of caoutchouc1 or ,indian rubber1 when1 by passing his silk-worm link through a fissure in the middle1 he rendered it straight and fit for immediate use4 ,many other anglers will remember other ingenious devices of my admirable and ever-to-be lamented friend4 7,they go to dinner47 99 99 99 99 99 7,they return from the house47 ,,evening4 ,,hal4--,you have1 ,i am sure1 gentlemen1 dined well2 no one ever dined otherwise in this house4 ,it is a beautiful calm evening1 and many fish might be caught where we fished in the morning2 but ,i will take you to another part of the river2 you shall each catch a fish1 and then we will give over2 for the evening's sport should be kept till a late season1--,july or ,august1--when there is little fly on in the day-time3 and it would be spoiling the diversion of our host1 to catch or prick all the fish in the upper water2 and with a gentleman so truly liberal1 and so profuse of his means of giving pleasure to others1 no improper liberties should be taken4 ,i shall not fish myself1 but shall have my pleasure in witnessing your sport4 ,it must be in a boat1 and you must steal slowly up the calm water1 and glide like aerial beings on the surface1 making no motion in the water1 and showing no shadow4 ,your fly must be an orange or brown palmer with a yellow body2 for the gray drake is not yet on the water4 ,the fish here are large1 and the river weedy1 so you must take care of your fish and your tackle4 ,,poiet4--,we have at least passed over half-a-mile of water1 and have seen no fish rise2 yet there is a yellowish or reddish fly in the air1 which moves like a drake2 and there are clouds of pale brown flies encircling the alders4 ,now ,i think ,i see a large trout rise below that alder4 ,,hal4--,that is not a trout1 for he rises in a different place now1 and is probably a large roach or chub2 do not waste your time upon him4 ,you may always know a large trout when feeding in the evening4 ,he rises continuously1 or at small intervals1--in a still water almost always in the same place1--and makes little noise1--barely elevating his mouth to suck in the fly1 and sometimes showing his back-fin and tail4 ,a large circle spreads around him1 but there are seldom many bubbles when he breaks the water1 which usually indicate the coarser fish3 we will wait a few minutes2 ,i know there must be trout here1 and the sun is setting1 and the yellow fly1 or dun cut1 coming on the water4 ,see1 beneath that alder is a trout rising1 and now there is another thirty yards higher up4 ,take care1 get your line out in another part of the water1 and in order1 for reaching the fish1 and do not throw till you are sure you can reach the spot1 and throw at least half-a-yard above the fish4 ,,orn4--,he rose1 ,i suppose1 at a natural fly1 the moment before my fly touched the water4 ,,hal4--,try again4 ,you have hooked him1 and you have done well not to strike when he rose4 ,now hold him tight1 wind up your line1 and carry him down the stream4 ,push the boat down stream1 fisherman4 ,keep your fish's head up4 ,he begins to tire1--and there is landed4 ,a fine well-fed fish1 not much less than #dlbs4 ,throw him into the well4 ,now1 ,poietes1 try that fish rising above1--and there are two more4 ,,poiet4--,i have him6 ,,hal4--,take care4 ,he has turned you1 and you have suffered him to run out your line1 and he is gone into the weeds under the willow3 let him fall down stream4 ,,poiet4--,i cannot get him out4 ,,hal4--,then wind up4 ,i fear he is lost1 yet we will try to recover him by taking the boat up4 ,the line is loose3 he has left the link entangled in the weeds1 and carried your fly with him4 ,he must have been a large fish1 or he could not have disentangled himself from so strong a gut4 ,try again1 there are fish now rising above and below2 where the water is in motion1 opposite that willow1 there are two fish rising4 ,,poiet4--,i have one of them4 ,,hal4--,now you are doing well4 ,down with the boat1 and drag your fish downwards4 ,continue to do so1 as there are weeds all round you4 ,you can master him now2 keep him high1 and he is your own4 ,put the net under him1 and bring him into the boat2 he is a well-fed fish1 but not of the proper size for a victim3 about #blbs4 ,now1 ,physicus1 try your fortune with the fish above that rises so merrily still4 ,you have him6 ,now use him as ,poietes did the last4 ,very well2 ,i see he is a large fish1--take your time4 ,he is landed2 a fish nearly of #clbs41 and in excellent season4 ,,phys4--,anche ,io son ,pescatore--,i am too a fisherman--a triumph4 ,,hal4--,now we have finished our fishing1 and must return to the light supper of our host4 ,it would be easy now1 and between this hour and ten1 to take half-a-dozen large fish in this part of the water2 but for the reason ,i have already stated1 it would be improper4 ,,poiet4--,pray would not this be a good part of the water for day-fishing8 ,,hal4--,undoubtedly1 a skilful angler might take fish here in the day2 but the bank is shaded by trees1 there is seldom any sensible wind on the water1 and the apparatus and the boat in motion are easily perceived in the daylight2 and the water is so deep1 that a great quantity of fly is necessary to call up the fish2 and in general there is a larger quantity of fly in hot summer evenings1 than even in the brightest sunshine4 ,,phys4--,the fly appears to me like a moth that is now on the water4 ,,hal4--,it is4 ,,poiet4--,what flies come on late in the season here8 ,,hal4--,flies of the same species2 some darker1 and some with a deeper shade of red2 and there are likewise the true moths1 the brown and white1 which1 in ,june and ,july1 are seized with avidity by the fish2 and being large flies1 take large fish4 ,,orn4--,surely the ,may-fly season is not the only season for day-fishing in this river8 ,,hal4--,certainly not4 ,there are as many fish to be taken perhaps in the ,spring fishing2 but in this deep river they are seldom in good season till the ,may-fly has been on1 and a fortnight hence they will be still better than even now4 ,in ,september there may be good fish taken here2 but the autumnal flies are less plentiful in this river than the spring flies4 ,,phys4--,pray tell me what are the species of fly which take in these two seasons4 ,,hal4--,you know that trout spawn or deposit their ova and seminal fluid in the end of the autumn or beginning of winter1 from the middle of ,november till the beginning of ,january1 their maturity depending upon the temperature of the season1 their quantity of food1 c4 ,for some time 7a month or six weeks7 before they are prepared for the sexual function1 or that of re-production1 they become less fat1 particularly the females2 the large quantity of eggs and their size probably affecting the health of the animal1 and compressing generally the vital organs in the abdomen4 ,they are at least six weeks or two months after they have spawned before they recover their flesh3 and the time when these fish are at the worst is likewise the worst time for fly-fishing1 both on account of the cold weather and because there are fewer flies on the water than at any other season4 ,even in ,december and ,january there are a few small gnats or water-flies on the water in the middle of the day1 in bright days1 or when there is sunshine4 ,these are generally black1 and they escape the influence of the frost by the effects of light on their black bodies1 and probably by the extreme rapidity of the motions of their fluids1 and generally of their organs4 ,they are found only at the surface of the water1 where the temperature must be above the freezing point4 ,in ,february a few double-winged water-flies which swim down the stream are usually found in the middle of the day1--such as the willow-fly2 and the cow-dung-fly is sometimes carried on the water by winds4 ,in ,march there are several flies found on most rivers4 ,the grannam or green-tail-fly1 with a wing like a moth1 comes on generally morning and evening1 from five till eight o'clock1 ,a4 ,m4 in mild weather in the end of ,march and through ,april4 ,then there are the blue and the brown1 both ,ephemer1 which come on1 the first in dark days1 the second in bright days2 these flies1 when well imitated1 are very destructive to fish4 ,the first is a small fly with a palish-yellow body1 and slender beautiful wings1 which rest on the back as it floats down the water4 ,the second1 called the cob in ,wales1 is three or four times as large1 and has brown wings1 which likewise protrude from the back1 and its wings are shaded like those of a partridge1 brown and yellow brown4 ,these three kinds of flies lay their eggs in the water1 which produce larv that remain in the state of worms1 feeding and breathing in the water till they are prepared for their metamorphosis and quit the bottoms of the rivers1 and the mud and stones1 for the surface1 and the light and air4 ,the brown fly usually disappears before the end of ,april1 likewise the grannam2 but of the blue dun1 there is a succession of different tints1 or species1 or varieties1 which appear in the middle of the day all the summer and autumn long4 ,these are the principal flies on the ,wandle--the best and clearest stream near ,london4 ,in early spring these flies have dark olive bodies2 in the end of ,april and the beginning of ,may they are found yellow2 and in the summer they become cinnamon-coloured2 and again1 as the winter approaches1 gain a darker hue4 ,i do not1 however1 mean to say that they are the same flies1 but more probably successive generations of ,ephemer of the same species4 ,the excess of heat seems equally unfavourable1 as the excess of cold1 to the existence of the smaller species of water-insects1 which1 during the intensity of sunshine1 seldom appear in summer1 but rise morning and evening only4 ,the blue dun has in ,june and ,july a yellow body1 and there is a water-fly which in the evening is generally found before the moths appear1 called the red-spinner4 ,towards the end of ,august1 the ,ephemer appear again in the middle of the day3 a very pale small ,ephemera1 which is of the same colour as that which is seen in some rivers in the beginning of ,july4 ,in ,september and ,october this kind of fly is found with an olive body1 and it becomes darker in ,october1 and paler in ,november4 ,there are two other flies which appear in the end of ,september1 and continue during ,october if the weather be mild3 a large yellow fly with a fleshy body and wings like a moth2 and a small fly with four wings1 with a dark or claret-coloured body1 that when it falls on the water has its wings like the great yellow fly1 flat on its back4 ,this1 or a claret-bodied fly1 very similar in character1 may be likewise found in ,march or ,april1 on some waters4 ,in this river ,i have often caught many large trout in ,april and the beginning of ,may1 with the blue dun1 having the yellow body2 and in the upper part of the stream below ,st4 ,albans1 and between that and ,watford1 ,i have sometimes1 even as early as ,april1 caught fish in good condition3 but the true season for the ,colne is the season of the ,may-fly4 ,the same may be said of most of the large ,english rivers containing large trouts1 and abounding in ,may-fly2--such as the ,test and the ,kennet2 the one running by ,stockbridge1 the other by ,hungerford4 ,but in the ,wandle at ,carshalton and ,beddington1 the ,may-fly is not found2 and the little blues are the constant1 and when well imitated1 killing flies on this water2 to which may be joined a dark alder-fly1 and a red evening fly4 ,in the ,avon1 at ,ringwood and ,fordingbridge1 the ,may-fly is likewise a killing fly2 but as this is a grayling river1 the other flies1 particularly the grannam and blue and brown1 are good in spring1 and the alder-fly or pale blue later1 and the blue dun in ,september and ,october1 and even ,november4 ,in the streams in the mountainous parts of ,britain1 the spring and autumnal flies are by far the most killing4 ,the ,usk was formerly a very productive trout stream1 and the fish being well-fed by the worms washed down by the winter floods1 were often in good season1 cutting red1 in ,march1 and the beginning of ,april3 and at this season the blues and browns1 particularly when the water was a little stained after a small flood1 afforded the angler good sport4 ,in ,herefordshire and ,derbyshire1 where trout and grayling are often found together1 the same periods are generally best for angling2 but in the ,dove1 ,lathkill1 and ,wye1 with the natural ,may-fly1 many fish may be taken2 and in old times1 in peculiarly windy days1 or high and troubled water1 even the artificial ,may-fly1 according to ,cotton1 was very killing4 ,,poiet4--,i have heard various accounts of the excellent fishing in some of the great lakes in ,ireland4 ,can you tell us any thing on the subject1 and if the same flies may be used in that island8 ,,hal4--,i have been several times in ,ireland1 but never at this season1 which is considered as best for lake-fishing4 ,i have heard that in some of the lakes in ,westmeath1 very large trout1 and great quantities may be taken in the beginning of ,june1 with the very flies we have been using this day4 ,wind is necessary2 and a good angler sometimes takes in a day1 or rather formerly took1 from ten to twelve fish1 which weighed from #c to #ajlbs41 and which occasionally were even larger4 ,in the summer after ,june1 and in the autumn1 the only seasons when ,i have fished in ,ireland1 ,i have seldom taken any large trout2 but in the river ,boyle1 late in ,october1 after a flood1 ,i once had some sport with these fish1 that were running up the river from ,lock ,key to spawn4 ,i caught one day two above #clbs4 that took a large reddish-brown fly of the same kind as a salmon fly2 and ,i saw some taken that weighed #elbs41 and heard of one that equalled #ilbs4 ,these fish were in good season1 even at this late period1 and had no spots1 but were coloured red and brown--mottled like tortoise-shell1 only with smaller bars4 ,i have in ,july1 likewise1 fished in ,loch ,con1 near ,ballina1 and ,loch ,melvin1 near ,ballyshannon4 ,in ,loch ,con1 the party caught many small good trout1 that cut red2 and in the other ,i caught a very few trout only1 but as many of them were gillaroo or gizzard trout as common trout4 ,,poiet4--,this must have been an interesting kind of fishing4 ,in what does the gillaroo differ from the trout8 ,,hal4--,in appearance very little1 except that they have more red spots1 and a yellow or golden-coloured belly and fins1 and are generally a broader and thicker fish2 but internally they have a different organization1 possessing a large thick muscular stomach1 which has been improperly compared to a fowl's1 and which generally contains a quantity of small shell-fish of three or four kinds3 and though in those ,i caught the stomachs were full of these shell-fish1 yet they rose greedily at the fly4 ,,poiet4--,are they not common trout which have gained the habit of feeding on shell-fish8 ,,hal4--,if so1 they have been altered in a succession of generations4 ,the common trouts of this lake have stomachs like other trouts1 which never1 as far as my experience has gone1 contain shell-fish2 but of the gillaroo trout1 ,i have caught with a fly some not longer than my finger1 which have had as perfect a hard stomach as the larger ones1 with the coats as thick in proportion1 and the same shells within2 so that this animal is at least now a distinct species1 and is a sort of link between the trout and char1 which has a stomach of the same kind with the gillaroo1 but not quite so thick1 and which feeds at the bottom in the same way4 ,i have often looked in the lakes abroad for gillaroo trout1 and never found one4 ,in a small lake at the foot of the ,crest of the ,brenner1 above #djjj feet above the level of the sea1 ,i once caught some trout1 which1 from their thickness and red spots1 ,i suspected were gillaroo1 but on opening the stomach ,i found ,i was mistaken2 it had no particular thickness1 and was filled with grasshoppers3 but there were char1 which fed on shell-fish1 in the same lake4 ,,poiet4--,are water-flies found on all rivers8 ,,hal4--,this is a question which ,i find it impossible to answer2 yet from my own experience ,i should suppose1 that in all the habitable parts of the globe certain water-flies exist wherever there is running water4 ,even in the most ardent temperature1 gnats and musquitoes are found1 which lay their congeries of eggs on the water1 which1 when hatched1 become first worms1 afterwards small shrimp-like aurelia1 and lastly flies4 ,there are a great number of the largest species of these flies on stagnant waters and lakes1 which form a part of the food of various fishes1 principally of the carp kind3 but the true fisherman's flies1--those which are imitated in our art1 principally belong to the northern1 or at least temperate part of ,europe1 and ,i believe are nowhere more abundant than in ,england4 ,it appears to me1 that since ,i have been a fisherman1 which is now the best part of half a century1 ,i have observed in some rivers where ,i have been accustomed to fish habitually1 a diminution of the numbers of flies4 ,there were always some seasons in which the temperature was favourable to a quantity of fly2 for instance1 fine warm days in spring for the grannam1 or brown fly2 and like days in ,may and ,june for the alder-fly1 ,may-fly1 and stone-fly2 but ,i should say that within these last twenty years ,i have observed a general diminution of the spring and autumnal flies1 except in those rivers which are fed from sources that run from chalk1 and which are perennial--such as the ,wandle1 and the ,hampshire and ,buckinghamshire rivers2 in these streams the temperature is more uniform1 and the quantity of water does not vary much4 ,i attribute the change of the quantity of flies in the rivers to the cultivation of the country4 ,most of the bogs or marshes which fed many considerable streams are drained2 and the consequence is1 that they are more likely to be affected by severe droughts and great floods--the first killing1 and the second washing away the larv and aurelias4 ,may-flies thirty years ago were abundant in the upper part of the ,teme river in ,herefordshire1 where it receives the ,clun3 they are now rarely seen4 ,most of the rivers of that part of ,england1 as well as of the west1 with the exception of those that rise in the still uncultivated parts of ,dartmoor and ,exmoor1 are rapid and unfordable torrents after rain1 and in dry summers little more than scanty rills2 and ,exmoor and ,dartmoor1 almost the only considerable remains of those moist1 spongy1 or peaty soils1 which once covered the greatest part of the high lands of ,england1 are becoming cultivated1 and their sources will gradually gain the same character as those of our midland and highly-improved counties4 ,i cannot give you an idea of the effects of peat mosses and grassy marshes on the water thrown down from the atmosphere1 better1 than by comparing their effects to those of roofs of houses of thatched straw1 as contrasted with roofs of slate1 on a shower of rain4 ,the slate begins to drop immediately1 and sends down what it receives in a rapid torrent1 and is dry soon after the shower is over4 ,from the sponge-like roof of thatch1 on the contrary1 it is long before the water drops2 but it continues dropping and wet for hours after the shower is over and the slate dry4 ,,poiet4--,you spoke just now of the gillaroo trout1 as belonging only to ,ireland4 ,i can1 however1 hardly bring myself to believe1 that such a fish is not to be found elsewhere4 ,for lakes with shell-fish and char are common in various parts of ,europe1 and as the gillaroo trout is congenerous1 it ought to exist both in ,scotland and the ,alpine countries4 ,,hal4--,it is not possible from analogies of this kind to draw certain inferences4 ,subterraneous cavities and subterranean waters are common in various countries1 yet the ,proteus ,anguinus is only found in two places in ,carniola--at ,adelsburg and ,sittich4 ,as ,i mentioned before1 ,i have never yet met with a gillaroo trout except in ,ireland4 ,it is true1 it is only lately that ,i have had my attention directed to this subject1 and other fishermen or naturalists may be more fortunate4 ,,poiet4--,have you ever observed any other varieties of the trout kind1 which may be considered as1 like the gillaroo1 forming a distinct species8 ,,hal4--,i think the par1 samlet1 or brandling1 common to most of our rivers1 which communicate with the sea1 has a claim to be considered a distinct species2 yet the history of this fish is so obscure1 and so little understood1 that1 perhaps1 ,i ought not to venture to give an account of it4 ,but in doing so1 you will consider me as rather asking for new information1 than as attempting a satisfactory view of this little animal4 ,,orn4--,i have seen this fish in the rivers of ,wales and ,herefordshire1 and have heard it asserted1 on what appeared to me good authority1 that it was a mule1--the offspring of a trout and a salmon4 ,,hal4--,this opinion1 ,i know1 has been supported by the fact1 that it is found only in streams1 which are occasionally visited by salmon2 yet ,i know no direct evidence in favour of the opinion1 and ,i should think it much more probable1 if it be a mixed race1 that it is produced by the sea trout and common trout4 ,in a small river1 which runs into the ,moy1 near ,ballina in ,ireland1 ,i once caught in ,october a great number of small sea trout1 which were generally about half-a-pound in weight1 and were all males2 and unless it be supposed1 that the females were in the river likewise1 and would not take the fly1 these fish1 in which the spermatic system was fully developed1 could only have impregnated the ova of the common river trout4 ,the sea trout and river trout are1 indeed1 so like each other in character1 that such a mixture seems exceedingly probable2 but ,i know no reason why such mules should always continue small1 except that it may be a mark of imperfection4 ,the only difference between the par and common small trout is in the colours1 and its possessing one or two spines more in the pectoral fin4 ,the par has large blue or olive bluish marks on the sides1 as if they had been made by the impression of the fingers of a hand2 and hence the fish is called in some places fingerling4 ,the river and sea trout seem capable of changing permanently their places of residence2 and sea trout appear often to become river trout4 ,in this case they lose their silvery colour1 and gain more spots2 and in their offspring these changes are more distinct4 ,fish1 likewise1 which are ill-fed remain small2 and pars are exceedingly numerous in those rivers where they are found1 which are never separated from the sea by impassable falls2 from which ,i think it possible that they are produced by a cross between sea and river trout4 ,the varieties of the common trout are almost infinite2 from the great lake trout1 which weighs above #fj or #gjlbs41 to the trouts of the little mountain brook or small mountain lake1 or tarn1 which is scarcely larger than the finger4 ,the smallest trout spawn nearly at the same time with the larger ones1 and their ova are of the same size2 but in the large trout there are tens of thousands1 and in the small one rarely as many as forty1--often from ten to forty4 ,so that in the physical constitution of these animals1 their production is diminished as their food is small in quantity2 and it is remarkable1 that the ova of the large and beautiful species which exist in certain lakes1 and which seem always to associate together1 appear to produce offspring1 which1 in colour1 form1 and power of growth and reproduction1 resemble the parent fishes2 and they generally choose the same river for their spawning4 ,thus1 in the lake of ,guarda1 the ,benacus of the ancients1 the magnificent trout1 or ,salmo fario1 which in colour and appearance is like a fresh run salmon1 spawns in the river at ,riva1 beginning to run up for that purpose in ,june1 and continuing to do so all the summer2 and this river is fed by streams from snow and glaciers in the ,tyrol1 and is generally foul3 whilst the small spotted common trouts1 which are likewise found in this lake1 go into the small brooks1 which have their sources not far off1 and in which1 it is probable1 they were originally bred4 ,i have seen taken in the same net small fish of both these varieties which were as marked as possible in their characters3--one silvery1 like a young salmon1 blue on the back1 and with small black spots only2 the other1 with yellow belly and red spots1 and an olive-coloured back4 ,i have made similar observations in other lakes1 particularly in that of the ,tarun near ,gmunden1 and likewise at ,loch ,neah in ,ireland4 ,indeed1 considering the sea trout as the type of the species trout1 ,i think all the other true trouts may not improperly be considered as varieties1 where the differences of food and of habits have occasioned1 in a long course of ages1 differences of shape and colours1 transmitted to offspring in the same manner as in the variety of dogs1 which may all be referred to one primitive type4#d ,,phys4--,i am somewhat amused at your idea of the change produced in the species of trout by the formation of particular characters by particular accidents1 and their hereditary transmission4 ,it reminds me of the ingenious but somewhat unsound views of ,darwin on the same subject4 ,,hal4--,i will not allow you to assimilate my views to those of an author1 who1 however ingenious1 is far too speculative2 whose poetry has always appeared to me weak philosophy1 and his philosophy indifferent poetry3 and to whom ,i have been often accustomed to apply ,blumenbach's saying1 that there were many things new and many things true in his doctrines2 but that what was new was not true1 and what was true was not new4 ,,poiet4--,i think ,halieus is quite in the right to be a little angry at your observation1 ,physicus1 in making him a disciple of a writer1 who1 as well as ,i can recollect1 has deduced the genesis of the human being1 by a succession of changes dependant upon irritabilities1 sensibilities1 and appetencies1 from the fish2 blending the wild fancies of ,buffon with the profound ideas of ,hartly1 and thus endeavouring to give currency to an absurd romance1 by mixing with it some philosophical truths4 ,i hope your parallel will induce him to do us the favour to state his own notions more at large4 ,,hal4--,physicus has mistaken me2 and ,i will explain4 ,what ,i mentioned of the varieties of dogs as sprung from one type1 he will1 ,i am sure1 allow me to apply1 with some modifications1 to all our cultivated breeds of animals1 whether horses1 oxen1 sheep1 hogs1 geese1 ducks1 turkies1 or pigeons2 and he will allow1 that certain characters gained by accidents1 either from peculiar food1 air1 water1 or domestic treatment1 are transmitted to1 and often strengthened in the next generation2 the qualities being1 as it were1 doubled when belonging to both parents1 and retained in spite of counteracting causes4 ,it will be sufficient for me to mention only a few cases4 ,the blood-horse of ,arabia1 is become the favourite of the north of ,europe1 and the colts possess all the superior qualities of their parents1 even in the polar circle4 ,the offspring of the ,merino sheep retain the fineness of their wool in ,england and ,saxony4 ,poultry1 bantams1 tumbling and carrier pigeons1 geese1 ducks1 turkies1 c41 all afford instances of the same kind2 and in the goose and duck1 not only is the colour of the feathers changed1 but the form of the muscles of the legs and wings2 those of the wings1 being little employed1 become weak and slender2 those of the legs1 on the contrary1 being much used1 are strong and fleshy2 and it is well to know this1 as1 in the young birds1 the muscles of the legs and thighs are the best parts for the epicure1 a large quantity of flesh being developed there1 but not yet hardened or rendered tough by exercise4 ,these facts are of the same kind and depend on the same principles1 as the peculiarity of the breeds or races in trouts4 ,fish in a clear cool river1 that feed much on larv1 and that swallow their hard cases1 become yellower1 and the red spots increase so as to outnumber the black ones2 and these qualities become fixed in the young fishes1 and establish a particular variety4 ,if trout from a lake1 or another river of a different variety1 were introduced into this river1 they would not at once change their characters2 but the change would take place gradually4 ,thus ,i have known trout from a lake in ,scotland1 remarkable for their deep red flesh1 introduced into another lake1 where the trout had only white flesh1 and they retained the peculiar redness of their flesh for many years4 ,at first they all associated together in spawning in the brook which fed the lake1 but those newly introduced were easily known from their darker backs and brighter sides4 ,by degrees1 however1 from the influence of food and other causes1 they became changed2 the young trout of the introduced variety had flesh less red than their parents2 and in about twenty years the variety was entirely lost1 and all the fish were in their original white state4 ,a very speculative reasoner might certainly defend the hypothesis1 of the change of species in a long course of ages1 from the establishment of particular characters as hereditary4 ,it might be said1 that trout1 after having thickened their stomachs by feeding on larv with hard cases1 gained the power of eating shell-fish1 and were gradually changed to gillaroos and to char2 their red spots and the yellow colour of their belly and fins increasing4 ,in the same manner it might be said1 that the large trout which feed almost entirely on small fishes1 gained more spines in the pectoral fins1 and became a new species2 but ,i shall not go so far1 and ,i know no facts of this kind4 ,the gillaroo and the char appear always with the same characters3 and ,i have never seen any fish that seemed in a state of transition from a trout to gillaroo or a char2 which ,i think1 must have been the case if such changes took place4 ,i hope1 after this explanation1 ,physicus will not find any analogy between my ideas and those of a school1 to which ,i am not ambitious of being thought to belong2 and that he will allow my views to be sound1 or at least founded upon correct analogies4 ,,poiet4--,do you know any facts of a similar kind in confirmation of your idea that the par is a mule8 ,,hal4--,i have heard of similar instances1 but ,i cannot say ,i have myself witnessed them4 ,the common carp and the cruscian are said to produce a mixed race1 and likewise the rud and the roach2 but ,i have never paid much attention to varieties of the carp kind4 ,a friend of mine informed me1 that in a branch of the ,test1 into which graylings had recently been introduced1 his fisherman caught a fish1 which appeared to be from a cross between the trout and grayling1 having the high back fin of the grayling1 and the head and spots of the trout3 this is the more remarkable1 if correct1 as the grayling spawns in the late spring1 and the trout in the late autumn or winter3 yet ,i do recollect that ,i once took a grayling in the end of ,november1 in which the ova were so large1 as nearly to be ready for protrusion4 ,the fisherman of the ,grndtl ,see1 in ,styria1 informed me1 that he had seen a fish which he believed to be a mule between the trout and char1 the fins of which resembled those of a trout1 though the body was in other respects like that of a char4 ,the seasons at which these two species spawn approach nearer to each other2 but the char spawns in still and the trout in running water4 ,in general the trout are mature before the char1 yet ,i have seen in the ,leopoldstein ,see1 in ,styria1 a female char1 of which the eggs were almost fully developed as early as ,june3 the fisherman of the ,grndtl ,see said1 that these peculiar fish were very rare1 and that he caught only one in about #ejj char4 ,it is not1 ,i think1 impossible1 that it may be an umbla1 a fish that might be expected to be found in that deep1 cold1 ,alpine lake1 a peculiar species and not a mixed variety4 ,it is a fertile and very curious subject for new experiments1 that of crossing the breeds of fishes1 and offers a very interesting and untouched field of investigation1 which ,i hope will soon be taken up by some enlightened country gentleman1 who in this way might make not only curious but useful discoveries4 ,,poiet4--,so much science would be required to make these experiments with success1 and there would be so many difficulties in the way of preserving fishes at the time they are proper for reproduction1 that ,i fear very few country gentlemen would be capable of prosecuting the inquiry4 ,,hal4--,the science required for this object is easily attained1 and the difficulties are quite imaginary4 ,the impregnation of the ova of fishes is performed out of the body1 and it is only necessary to pour the seminal liquor from the melt upon the ova in water4 ,mr4 ,jacobi1 a ,german gentleman1 who made many years ago experiments on the increase of trout and salmon1 informs us1 that the ova and melt of mature fish1 recently dead1 will produce living offspring4 ,his plan of raising trout from the egg was a very simple one4 ,he had a box made with a small wire grating at one end in the cover1 for admitting water from a fresh source or stream1 and at the other end of the side of the box there were a number of holes to permit the exit of the water3 the bottom of the box was filled with pebbles and gravel of different sizes1 which were kept covered with water that was always in motion4 ,in ,november or the beginning of ,december1 when the trout were in full maturity for spawning1 and collected in the rivers for this purpose upon beds of gravel1 he caught males and females in a net1 and by the pressure of his hands1 received the ova in a basin of water1 and suffered the melt or seminal fluid to pass into the basin2 and after they had remained a few minutes together1 he introduced them upon the gravel in the box1 which was placed under a source of fresh1 cool1 and pure water4 ,in a few weeks the eggs burst1 and the box was filled with an immense number of young trout1 which had a small bag attached to the lower part of their body containing a part of the yolk of the egg1 which was still their nourishment4 ,in this state they were easily carried from place to place in confined portions of fresh water for some days1 requiring apparently no food2 but1 after about a week1 the nourishment in their bag being exhausted1 they began to seek their food in the water1 and rapidly increased in size4 ,as ,i have said before1 ,mr4 ,jacobi assures us1 that the experiment succeeded as well with mature fish1 that had been killed for the purpose of procuring the roe and melt1 these having been mixed together in cold water immediately after they were taken out of the body4 ,i have had this experiment tried twice1 and with perfect success1 and it offers a very good mode of increasing to any extent the quantity of trout in rivers or lakes1 for the young ones are preserved from the attacks of fishes1 and other voracious animals or insects1 at the time when they are most easily destroyed1 and perfectly helpless4 ,the same plan1 ,i have no doubt1 would answer equally well with grayling or other varieties of the salmo genus4 ,but in all experiments of this kind1 the great principle is1 to have a constant current of fresh and aerated water running over the eggs4 ,the uniform supply of air to the ftus in the egg is essential for its life and growth1 and such eggs as are not supplied with water saturated with air are unproductive4 ,the experimenter must be guided exactly by the instinct of the parent fishes1 who take care to deposit the impregnated eggs1 that are to produce their offspring1 only in sources continually abounding in fresh and aerated water4 ,,phys4--,but as every species of fish has a particular and usually different time for spawning1 ,i do not see how it could be contrived to cross their breeds1 or how the ova of a trout1 which spawns in ,december1 could be impregnated by the seminal fluid of the grayling1 which spawns in ,may2 for ,i conclude it would be impossible to preserve the eggs of a fish out of the body in a state in which they could retain or recover their vitality4 ,,hal4--,i believe ,i mentioned before1 that ,i had found instances1 in which the ova of fish were developed at a different period from their natural one2 and ,i have no doubt1 that a little inquiry respecting the habits of fishes would enable us to acquire a knowledge of the circumstances1 which either hasten or retard their maturity4 ,plenty of food and a genial season hasten the period of their reproduction1 which is delayed by want of proper nourishment1 and by unfavourable weather4 ,males and females likewise1 confined from each other1 have their generative powers impeded2 and trout1 grayling1 and salmon1 will not deposit their ova except in running water2 so that by keeping them in tanks1 the period of their maturity might be considerably altered4 ,i have seen char even1 which had been kept in confined water from ,september till ,july2 and so slow had been the progress of the ova1 that they appeared to be about this time fit for exclusion1 though1 in the natural course of things1 they would have been ripe in the end of ,october of the year before4 ,by attending to and controlling all these circumstances1 ,i have no doubt many interesting experiments might be made1 as to the possibility of modifying the varieties of the salmo1 by impregnating the ova of one species with the seminal fluid of another4 ,with fishes of other genera the task would be still more easy4 ,carp1 perch1 and pike1 deposit their ova in still water in spring and summer1 when it is supplied with air by the growth of vegetables3 and it is to the leaves of plants1 which afford a continual supply of oxygen to the water1 that the impregnated eggs usually adhere2 so that researches of this kind might be conducted within doors in close vessels1 filled with plants1 exposed to the sun4 ,i have myself kept minnows and sticklebacks alive for many months in the same confined quantity of water1 containing a few conferv2 and their ova and melt increased in the same manner1 as if they had been in their natural situation4 ,,orn4--,i conclude from your statements1 ,halieus1 that nothing more is required for the production of fishes from impregnated eggs1 than a constant supply of water of a certain temperature furnished with air2 and of course the same principles will apply to fishes of the sea4 ,,hal4--,there can be no doubt of it3 and fishes in spawning time always approach great shallows1 or shores covered with weeds1 that1 in the process of their growth1 under the influence of the sunshine1 constantly supply pure air to the water in contact with them4 ,,poiet4--,in every thing belonging to the economy of nature1 ,i find new reasons for wondering at the designs of ,providence1--at the infinite intelligence by which so many complicated effects are produced by the most simple causes4 ,the precipitation of water from the atmosphere1 its rapid motion in rivers1 and its falls in cataracts1 not only preserve this element pure1 but give it its vitality1 and render it subservient even to the embryo life of the fish2 and the storms which agitate the ocean1 and mingle it with the atmosphere1 supply at once food to marine plants1 and afford a principle of life to the fishes which inhabit its depths4 ,so that the perturbation and motion of the winds and waves possess a use1 and ought to impress us with a beauty higher and more delightful even than that of the peaceful and glorious calm4 ,,third ,,day4 ,,halieus--,,poietes--,,ornither--,,phys icus4 ,,scene--,,denham4 ,morning4 ,,hal4--,,you will soon take your leave1 gentlemen1 of this agreeable villa1 but we must catch at least two brace of trout1 to carry with us to ,london as a present for two worthy patrons of the angle4 ,for though ,i know our liberal host will have a basket of fish packed up for each of our party1 yet fish taken this morning will be imagined a more acceptable present than those caught yesterday4 ,the ,may-fly is already upon the water1 though not in great quantity1 and it will consequently be more easy to catch the fish1 which ,i see are rising with great activity4 ,i advise you to go to the deep water below1 where you will find the largest fish1 and ,i will soon follow you4 ,,poiet4--,i hope ,i shall catch a large fish1--a companion to that which ,ornither took yesterday with a natural fly4 ,halieus leaves them fishing1 and returns to the house2 but soon comes back and joins his companions1 whom he finds fishing below in the river4 ,,hal4--,well1 gentlemen1 what sport8 ,,poiet4--,the fish are rising every where2 but though we have been throwing over them with all our skill for a quarter of an hour1 yet not a single one will take1 and ,i am afraid we shall return to breakfast without our prey4 ,,hal4--,i will try2 but ,i shall go to the other side1 where ,i see a very large fish rising4 ,there6--,i have him at the very first throw4 ,land this fish1 and put him into the well4 ,now ,i have another2 and ,i have no doubt ,i could take half a dozen in this very place1 where you have been so long fishing without success4 ,,phys4--,you must have a different fly2 or have you some unguent or charm to tempt the fish8 ,,hal4--,no such thing4 ,if any of you will give me your rod and fly1 ,i will answer for it1 ,i shall have the same success4 ,i take your rod1 ,physicus4--,and lo6 ,i have a fish6 ,,phys4--,what can be the reason of this8 ,it is perfectly inexplicable to me4 ,yet ,poietes seems to throw as light as you do1 and as well as he did yesterday4 ,,hal4--,i am surprised1 that you1 who are a philosopher1 cannot discover the reason of this4 ,think a little4 ,,all4--,we cannot4 ,,hal4--,as you are my scholars1 ,i believe ,i must teach you4 ,the sun is bright1 and you have been1 naturally enough1 fishing with your backs to the sun1 which1 not being very high1 has thrown the shadows of your rods and yourselves upon the water1 and you have alarmed the fish1 whenever you have thrown a fly4 ,you see ,i have fished with my face towards the sun1 and though inconvenienced by the light1 have given no alarm4 ,follow my example1 and you will soon have sport1 as there is a breeze playing on the water4 ,,phys4--,your sagacity puts me in mind of an anecdote which ,i remember to have heard respecting the late eloquent statesman1 ,charles ,james ,fox2 who1 walking up ,bond-street from one of the club-houses with an illustrious personage1 laid him a wager1 that he would see more cats than the ,prince in his walk1 and that he might take which side of the street he liked4 ,when they got to the top1 it was found1 that ,mr4 ,fox had seen thirteen cats1 and the ,prince not one4 ,the royal personage asked for an explanation of this apparent miracle1 and ,mr4 ,fox said1 8,your ,royal ,highness took1 of course1 the shady side of the way1 as most agreeable2 ,i knew that the sunny side would be left to me1 and cats always prefer the sunshine40 ,,hal4--,there6 ,poietes1 by following my advice you have immediately hooked a fish2 and while you are catching a brace1 ,i will tell you an anecdote1 which as much relates to fly-fishing as that of ,physicus1 and affords an elucidation of a particular effect of light4 ,a manufacturer of carmine1 who was aware of the superiority of the ,french colour1 went to ,lyons for the purpose of improving his process1 and bargained with the most celebrated manufacturer in that capital for the acquisition of his secret1 for which he was to pay a thousand pounds4 ,he was shown all the processes1 and saw a beautiful colour produced1 yet he found not the least difference in the ,french mode of fabrication and that which he had constantly adopted4 ,he appealed to the manufacturer1 and insisted that he must have concealed something4 ,the manufacturer assured him that he had not1 and invited him to see the process a second time4 ,he minutely examined the water and the materials1 which were the same as his own1 and1 very much surprised1 said1 8,i have lost my labour and my money1 for the air of ,england does not permit us to make good carmine40 8,stay10 says the ,frenchman1 8do not deceive yourself3 what kind of weather is it now80 8,a bright sunny day10 said the ,englishman4 8,and such are the days10 said the ,frenchman1 8on which ,i make my colour4 ,were ,i to attempt to manufacture it on a dark or cloudy day1 my result would be the same as yours4 ,let me advise you1 my friend1 always to make carmine on bright and sunny days40 8,i will10 says the ,englishman2 8but ,i fear ,i shall make very little in ,london40 ,,poiet4--,your anecdote is as much to the purpose as ,physicus's2 yet ,i am much obliged to you for the hint respecting the effect of shadow1 for ,i have several times in ,may and ,june had to complain of too clear a sky1 and wished1 with ,cotton1 for ,a day with not too bright a beam2 ,a warm1 but not a scorching1 sun4 ,,hal4--,whilst we have been conversing1 the ,may-flies1 which were in such quantities1 have become much fewer2 and ,i believe the reason is1 that they have been greatly diminished by the flocks of swallows1 which every where pursue them3 ,i have seen a single swallow take four1 in less than a quarter of a minute1 that were descending to the water4 ,,poiet4--,i delight in this living landscape6 ,the swallow is one of my favourite birds1 and a rival of the nightingale2 for he cheers my sense of seeing as much as the other does my sense of hearing4 ,he is the glad prophet of the year--the harbinger of the best season3 he lives a life of enjoyment amongst the loveliest forms of nature3 winter is unknown to him2 and he leaves the green meadows of ,england in autumn1 for the myrtle and orange groves of ,italy1 and for the palms of ,africa3--he has always objects of pursuit1 and his success is secure4 ,even the beings selected for his prey are poetical1 beautiful1 and transient4 ,the ephemer are saved by his means from a slow and lingering death in the evening1 and killed in a moment1 when they have known nothing of life but pleasure4 ,he is the constant destroyer of insects1--the friend of man2 and1 with the stork and the ibis1 may be regarded as a sacred bird4 ,his instinct1 which gives him his appointed seasons1 and teaches him always when and where to move1 may be regarded as flowing from a ,divine ,source2 and he belongs to the ,oracles of ,nature1 which speak the awful and intelligible language of a present ,deity4 ,,fourth ,,day4 ,,halieus--,,poietes--,,ornither--,,phys icus4 ,,fishing ,,for ,,salmon ,,and ,,sea ,,trout4 ,scene--,loch ,maree1 ,west of ,rosshire1 ,scotland4 ,time--,middle of ,july4 ,,poiet4--,i ,,begin to be tired4 ,this is really a long day's journey2 and these last ten miles through bogs1 with no other view than that of mountains half hid in mists1 and brown waters that can hardly be called lakes1 and with no other trees than a few stunted birches1 that look so little alive1 that they might be supposed immediately descended from the bog-wood1 every where scattered beneath our feet1 have rendered it extremely tedious4 ,this is the most barren part of one of the most desolate countries ,i have ever passed through in ,europe2 and though the inn at ,strathgarve is tolerable1 that of ,auchnasheen is certainly the worst ,i have ever seen1--and ,i hope the worst ,i shall ever see4 ,we ought to have good amusement at ,pool ,ewe1 to compensate us for this uncomfortable day's journey4 ,,hal4--,i trust we shall have sport1 as far as salmon and sea trout can furnish sport4 ,but the difficulties of our journey are almost over4 ,see1 ,loch ,maree is stretched at our feet1 and a good boat with four oars will carry us in four or five hours to our fishing ground2 a time that will not be misspent1 for this lake is not devoid of beautiful1 and even grand scenery4 ,,poiet4--,the scenery begins to improve2 and that cloud-breasted mountain on the left is of the best character of ,scotch mountains3 these woods1 likewise1 are respectable for this northern country4 ,i think ,i see islands also in the distance3 and the quantity of cloud always gives effect to this kind of view2 and perhaps1 without such assistance to the imagination1 there would be nothing even approaching to the sublime in these countries2 but cloud and mist1 by creating obscurity and offering a substitute for greatness and distance1 give something of an alpine and majestic character to this region4 ,,orn4--,as we are now fixed in our places in the boat1 you will surely put out a rod or two with a set of flies1 or try the tail of the par for a large trout or salmon3 our fishing will not hinder our progress4 ,,hal4--,in most other lakes ,i should do so2 here ,i have often tried the experiment1 but never with success4 ,this lake is extremely deep1 and there are very few fish which haunt it generally except char2 and salmon seldom rest but in particular parts along the shore1 which we shall not touch4 ,our voyage will be a picturesque1 rather than an angling one4 ,i see we shall have little occasion for the oars1 for a strong breeze is rising1 and blowing directly down the lake2 we shall be in it in a minute4 ,hoist the sails2 ,on we go6--we shall make our voyage in half the number of hours ,i had calculated upon2 and ,i hope to catch a salmon in time for dinner4 ,,poiet4--,the scenery improves as we advance nearer the lower parts of the lake4 ,the mountains become higher1 and that small island or peninsula presents a bold1 craggy outline2 and the birch wood below it1 and the pines above1 form a scene somewhat ,alpine in character4 ,but what is that large bird soaring above the pointed rock1 towards the end of the lake8 ,surely it is an eagle6 ,,hal4--,your are right1 it is an eagle1 and of a rare and peculiar species--the gray or silver eagle1 a noble bird6 ,from the size of the animal1 in must be the female2 and her aery is in that high rock4 ,i dare say the male is not far off4 ,,phys4--,i think ,i see another bird1 of a smaller size1 perched on the rock below1 which is similar in form4 ,,hal4--,you do3 it is the consort of that beautiful and powerful bird2 and ,i have no doubt their young ones are near at hand4 ,,poiet4--,look at the bird6 ,how she dashes into the water1 falling like a rock1 and raising a colume of spray3 she has dropped from a great height4 ,and now she rises again into the air3 what an extraordinary sight6 ,,hal4--,she is pursuing her prey1 and is one of our fraternity1--a catcher of fish4 ,she has missed her quarry this time1 and has soared further down towards the river1 to fall again from a great height4 ,there6 ,you see her rise with a fish in her talons4 ,,poiet4--,she gives an interest to this scene1 which ,i hardly expected to have found4 ,pray are there many of these animals in this country8 ,,hal4--,of this species1 ,i have seen but these two1 and ,i believe the young ones migrate as soon as they can provide for themselves2 for this solitary bird requires a large space to move and feed in1 and does not allow its offspring to partake its reign1 or to live near it4 ,of other species of the eagle1 there are some in different parts of the mountains1 particularly of the ,osprey1 and of the great fishing or brown eagle4 ,i once saw a very fine and interesting sight above one of the ,crags of ,ben ,weevis1 near ,strathgarve1 as ,i was going1 on the #bjth of ,august1 in pursuit of black game4 ,two parent eagles were teaching their offspring--two young birds1 the manuvres of flight4 ,they began by rising from the top of a mountain in the eye of the sun 7it was about midday1 and bright for this climate74 ,they at first made small circles1 and the young birds imitated them2 they paused on their wings1 waiting till they had made their first flight1 and then took a second and larger gyration1--always rising towards the sun1 and enlarging their circle of flight so as to make a gradually extending spiral4 ,the young ones still slowly followed1 apparently flying better as they mounted2 and they continued this sublime kind of exercise1 always rising1 till they became mere points in the air1 and the young ones were lost1 and afterwards their parents1 to our aching sight4 ,but we have touched the shore1 and the lake has terminated3 you are now on the river ,ewe4 ,,poiet4--,are we to fish here8 ,it is a broad clear stream1 but ,i see no fish1 and cannot think it a good angling river4 ,,hal4--,we are nearly a mile above our fishing station1 and we must first see our quarters and provide for our lodging1 before we begin our fishing3 to the inn we have only a short walk4 ,,poiet4--,why this inn is a second edition of ,auchnasheen4 ,,hal4--,the interior is better than the exterior1 thanks to the ,laird of ,brahan3 we shall find one tolerable room and bed2 and we must put up our cots and provide our food4 ,what is our store1 ,mr4 ,purveyor8 ,,phys4--,i know we have good bread1 tea1 and sugar4 ,then there is the quarter of roe-buck presented to us at ,gordon ,castle2 and ,ornither has furnished us with a brace of wild ducks1 three leash of snipes1 and a brace of golden plovers1 by his mountain expedition of yesterday2 and for fish we depend on you4 ,yet our host says there are fresh herrings to be had1 and small cod-fish1 and salmon and trout in any quantity1 and the claret and the ,ferintosh are safe4 ,,hal4--,why we shall fare sumptuously4 ,as it is not time yet for shooting grouse1 we must divide our spoil for the few days we shall stay here4 ,yet there are young snipes and plovers on the mountains above1 and ,i have no doubt we might obtain the ,laird's permission to kill a roe-buck in the woods or a hart on the mountains2 but this is always an uncertain event1 and ,i advise you1 ,ornither1 to become a fisherman4 ,,orn4--,i shall wait till ,i see the results of your skill4 ,at all events1 in this country ,i can never want amusement1 and ,i dare say there are plenty of seals at the mouth of the river1 and killing them is more useful to other fishermen than catching fish4 ,,hal4--,let there be a kettle of water with salt ready boiling in an hour1 mine host1 for the fish we catch or buy2 and see that the potatoes are well dressed3 the servants will look to the rest of our fare4 ,now for our rods4 ,,poiet4--,this is a fine river2 clear1 full1 but not too large3 with the two handed rod it may be commanded in most parts4 ,,hal4--,it is larger than usual4 ,the strong wind which brought us so quickly down has made it fuller2 and it is not in such good order for fishing as it was before the wind rose4 ,,poiet4--,i thought the river was always the better for a flood1 when clear4 ,,hal4--,better after a flood from rain2 for this brings the fish up1 who know when rain is coming1 and likewise brings down food and makes the fish feed4 ,but when the water is raised by a strong wind1 the fish never run1 as they are sure to find no increase in the spring heads1 which are their objects in running4 ,,poiet4--,you give the fish credit for great sagacity4 ,,hal4--,call it instinct rather2 for if they reasoned1 they would run with every large water1 whether from wind or rain4 ,what the feeling or power is1 which makes them travel with rain1 ,i will not pretend to define4 ,but now for our sport4 ,,poiet4--,the fish are beginning to rise2 ,i have seen two here already1 and there is a third1 and a fourth--scarcely a quarter of a minute elapses without a fish rising in some parts of the pool4 ,,hal4--,as the day is dark1 ,i shall use a bright and rather a large fly with jay's hackle1 kingfisher's feather under the wing1 and golden pheasant's tail1 and wing of mixed grouse and argus pheasant's tail4 ,i shall throw over these fish3 ,i ought to raise one4 ,,poiet4--,either you are not skilful1 or the fish know their danger3 they will not rise4 ,,hal4--,i will try another and a smaller fly4 ,,poiet4--,you do nothing4 ,,hal4--,i have changed my fly a third time1 yet no fish rises4 ,i cannot understand this4 ,the water is not in good order1 or ,i should certainly have raised a fish or two4 ,now ,i will wager ten to one1 that this pool has been fished before to-day4 ,,orn4--,by whom8 ,,hal4--,i know not2 but take my wager and we will ascertain4 ,,orn4--,i shall ascertain without the wager if possible4 ,see1 a man connected with the fishery advances1 let us ask him4--,there you see2 it has been fished once or twice by one1 who claims without charter the right of angling4 ,,hal4--,i told you so4 ,now ,i know this1 ,i shall put on another kind of fly1 such as ,i am sure they have not seen this day4 ,,poiet4--,it is very small and very gaudy1 ,i believe made with humming bird's feathers4 ,,hal4--,no4 ,the brightest ,java dove's hackle2 kingfisher's blue1 and golden pheasant's feathers1 and the red feathers of the paroquet4 ,there was a fish that rose and missed the fly--a sea trout4 ,there1 he has taken it1 a fresh run fish1 from his white belly and blue back4 ,,poiet4--,how he springs out of the water6 ,he must be #f or #glbs4 ,,hal4--,under five1 ,i am sure2 he will soon be tired4 ,he fights with less spirit3 put the net under him4 ,there1 he is a fine fed sea trout1 between #d and #elbs4 ,but our intrusive brother angler 7as ,i must call him7 is coming down the river to take his evening cast4 ,a stout ,highlander1 with a powerful tail1--or1 as we should call it in ,england1 suite4 ,he is resolved not to be driven off1 and ,i am not sure that the ,laird himself could divert him from his purpose1 except by a stronger tail1 and force of arms2 but ,i will try my eloquence upon him4 8,sir1 we hope you will excuse us for fishing in this pool1 where it seems you were going to take your cast2 but the ,laird has desired us to stand in his shoes for a few days1 and has given up angling while we are here2 and as we come nearly a thousand miles for this amusement1 we are sure you are too much of a gentleman to spoil our sport2 and we will take care to supply your fish kettle while we are here1 morning and evening1 and we shall send you1 as we hope1 a salmon before night40 ,,poiet4--,he grumbles good sport to us1 and is off with his tail3 you have hit him in the right place4 ,he is a pot fisher1 ,i am sure1 and somewhat hungry1 and1 provided he gets the salmon1 does not care who catches it6 ,,hal4--,you are severe on the ,highland gentleman1 and ,i think extremely unjust4 ,nothing could be more ready than his assent1 and a keen fisherman must not be expected to be in the best possible humour1 when he finds sport which he believes he has a right to1 and which perhaps he generally enjoys without interruption1 taken away from him by entire strangers4 ,there is1 ,i know1 a disputed point about fishing with the rod1 between him and the ,laird2 and it would have been too much to have anticipated a courteous greeting from one1 who considers us as the representatives of an enemy4 ,but ,i see there is a large fish which has just risen at the tail of the pool4 ,i think he is fresh run from the sea1 for the tide is coming in4 ,my fly and tackle are almost too fine for so large a fish1 and ,i will put on my first fly with a very strong single gut link and a stretcher of triple gut4 ,he has taken my fly1 and ,i hold him--a powerful fish3 he must be between #aj and #aelbs4 ,he fights well1 and tries to get up the rapid at the top of the pool4 ,i must try my strength with him1 to keep him off that rock1 or he will break me4 ,i have turned him1 and he is now in a good part of the pool3 such a fish cannot be tired in a minute or two1 but requires from ten to twenty1 depending upon his activity and strength1 and the rapidity of the stream he moves against4 ,he is now playing against the strongest rapid in the river1 and will soon give in1 should he keep his present place4 ,,poiet4--,you have tired him4 ,,hal4--,he seems fairly tired3 ,i shall bring him in to shore4 ,now gaff him2 strike as near the tail as you can4 ,he is safe2 we must prepare him for the pot4--,give him a stunning blow on the head to deprive him of sensation1 and then make a transverse cut just below the gills1 and crimp him1 by cutting to the bone on each side1 so as almost to divide him into slices3 and now hold him by the tail that he may bleed4 ,there is a small spring1 ,i see1 close under that bank1 which ,i dare say has the mean temperature of the atmosphere in this climate1 and is much under #ej--place him there1 and let him remain for ten minutes2 then carry him to the pot1 and before you put in a slice let the water and salt boil furiously1 and give time to the water to recover its heat before you throw in another2 and so proceed with the whole fish3 leave the head out1 and throw in the thickest pieces first4 ,,phys4--,why did you not crimp your trout8 ,,hal4--,we will have him fried4 ,our poacher prevented me from attending to the preparation2 but for frying he is better not crimped1 as he is not large enough to give good transverse slices4 ,,poiet4--,this salmon is a good fish1 and fresh as you said from the sea4 ,you see the salt-water louse adheres to his sides1 and he is bright and silvery1 and a thick fish2 ,i dare say his weight is not less than #adlbs41 and ,i know of no better fish for the table than one of that size4 ,,phys4--,it appears to me that so powerful a fish ought to have struggled much longer3 yet1 without great exertions on your part1 in ten minutes he appeared quite exhausted1 and lay on his side as if dying3 this induces me to suppose1 that there must be some truth in the vulgar opinion of anglers1 that fish are1 as it were1 drowned by the play of the rod and reel4 ,,hal4--,the vulgar opinion of anglers on this subject ,i believe to be perfectly correct3 though1 to apply the word drowning to an animal that lives in the water is not quite a fit use of language4 ,fish1 as you ought to know1 respire by passing water1 which always holds common air in solution1 through their gills or bronchial membrane1 by the use of a system of muscles surrounding the fauces1 which occasion constant contractions and expansions1 or openings and closings of this membrane1 and the life of the fish is dependant on the process in the same manner as that of a quadruped is on inspiring and expiring air4 ,when a fish is hooked in the upper part of the mouth by the strength of the rod applied as a lever to the line1 it is scarcely possible for him to open the gills as long as this force is exerted1 particularly when he is moving in a rapid stream2 and when he is hooked in the lower jaw1 his mouth is kept closed by the same application of the strength of the rod1 so that no aerated water can be inspired4 ,under these circumstances he is quickly deprived of his vital forces1 particularly when he exhausts his strength by moving in a rapid stream4 ,a fish1 hooked in a part of the mouth where the force of the rod will render his efforts to respire unavailing1 is much in the same state as that of a deer caught round the neck by the lasso of a ,south ,american peon1 who gallops forwards1 dragging his victim after him1 which is killed by strangulation in a very short time4 ,when fishes are hooked foul1 that is1 on the outside of the body1 as in the fins or tail1 they will often fight for many hours1 and in such cases very large salmon are seldom caught1 as they retain their powers of breathing unimpaired2 and if they do not exhaust themselves by violent muscular efforts1 they may bid defiance to the temper and the skill of the fisherman4 ,a large salmon1 hooked in the upper part of the mouth in the cartilage or bone1 will sometimes likewise fight for a long while1 particularly if he keep in the deep and still parts of the river3 for he is able to prevent the force of the hook1 applied by the rod1 from interfering with his respiration1 and by a powerful effort1 can maintain his place1 and continue to breathe in spite of the exertions of the angler4 ,a fish1 in such case1 is said to be sulky1 and his instinct1 or his sagacity1 generally enables him to conquer his enemy4 ,it is1 however1 rarely that fishes hooked in the mouth are capable of using freely the muscles subservient to respiration2 and their powers are generally1 sooner or later1 destroyed by suffocation4 ,,poiet4--,the explanation that you have just been giving us of the effects of playing fish1 ,i confess alarms me1 and makes me more afraid than ,i was before1 that we are pursuing a very cruel amusement2 for death by strangling1 ,i conceive1 must be very laborious1 slow1 and painful4 ,,phys4--,i think as ,i did before ,i was an angler1 as to the merciless character of field-sports2 but ,i doubt if this part of the process of the fly-fisher ought so strongly to alarm your feelings4 ,as far as analogies from warm-blooded animals can apply to the case1 the death that follows obstructed respiration is quick1 and preceded by insensibility4 ,there are many instances of persons who have recovered from the apparent death produced by drowning1 and had no recollection of any violent or intense agony2 indeed1 the alarm or passion of fear generally absorbs all the sensibility1 and the physical suffering is lost in the mental agitation4 ,i can answer from my own experience1 that there is no pain which precedes the insensibility occasioned by breathing gasses unfitted for supporting life1 but oftener a pleasurable feeling1 as in the case of the respiration of nitrous oxide4 ,and in the suffocation produced by the gradual abstraction of air in a close room where charcoal is burning1 we have the record of the son of a celebrated chymist1 that the sensation which precedes the deep sleep that ends in death is agreeable4 ,there is far more pain in recovering from the insensibility produced by the abstraction of air than in undergoing it1 as ,i can answer from my own feelings2 and it is1 ,i believe1 quite true1 what has been asserted1 that the pain of being born1 which is acquiring the power of respiration1 is greater than that of dying1 which is losing the power4 ,,orn4--,i have heard1 that persons1 who have been recovered from the insensibility produced by hanging1 have never any recollection of the sufferings which preceded it2 and as the blood is immediately determined to the head in this operation1 probably apoplectic insensibility is almost instantaneous4 ,there is on record a very remarkable trial respecting the death of an ,italian1 who was for many years in the habit of being hanged for the purpose of producing the temporary excitement of organs that had lost their power1 and who ultimately fell a victim to this depraved and dangerous practice2 but ,i will not dwell upon this case1 which is well authenticated1 and which is equally revolting to good feelings and delicacy4 ,,hal4--,the laws of nature are all directed by ,divine ,wisdom for the purpose of preserving life and increasing happiness4 ,pain seems in all cases to precede the mutilation or destruction of those organs which are essential to vitality1 and for the end of preserving them2 but the mere process of dying seems to be the falling into a deep slumber2 and in animals1 who have no fear of death dependent upon imagination1 it can hardly be accompanied by very intense suffering4 ,in the human being1 moral and intellectual motives constantly operate in enhancing the fear of death1 which1 without these motives in a reasoning being1 would probably become null1 and the love of life be lost upon every slight occasion of pain or disgust2 but imagination is creative with respect to both these passions1 which1 if they exist in animals1 exist independent of reason1 or as instincts4 ,pain seems intended by an all-wise ,providence to prevent the dissolution of organs1 and cannot follow their destruction4 ,i know several instances in which the process of death has been observed1 even to its termination1 by good philosophers2 and the instances are worth repeating3 ,dr4 ,cullen1 when dying1 is said to have faintly articulated to one of his intimates1 8,i wish ,i had the power of writing or speaking1 for then ,i would describe to you how pleasant a thing it is to die40 ,dr4 ,black1 worn out by age and a disposition to pulmonary hemorrhage1 which obliged him to live very low1 whilst eating his customary meal of bread and milk1 fell asleep1 and died in so tranquil a manner1 that he had not even spilt the contents of the spoon which he held in his hand4 ,and the late ,sir ,charles ,blagden1 whilst at a social meal with his friends1 ,mons4 and ,mad4 ,berthollet and ,gay-,lussac1 died in his chair so quietly1 that not a drop of the coffee in the cup which he held in his hand was spilt4 ,,poiet4--,give us no more such instances1 for ,i do not think it wise to diminish the love of life1 or to destroy the fear of death4 ,,hal4--,there is no danger of this4 ,these passions are founded on immutable laws of our nature1 which philosophy cannot change2 and it would be good if we could give the same security of duration to the love of virtue and the fear of vice or shame1 which are connected with immutable interests1 and which ought to occupy far more the consideration of beings destined for immortality4--,but to our business4 ,now we have fish for dinner1 my task is finished3 ,physicus and ,poietes1 try your skill4 ,i have not fished over the best parts of this pool3 you may catch a brace of fish here before dinner is ready4 ,,phys4--,it is too late1 and ,i shall go and see that all is right4 ,,poiet4--,i will take one or two casts2 but give me your fly3 ,i like always to be sure that the tackle is taking4 ,,hal4--,try at first the very top of the pool1--though ,i fear you will get nothing there2 but here is a cast which ,i think the ,highlander can hardly have commanded from the other side1 and which is rarely without a good fish4 ,there1 he rose3 a large trout of #ajlbs41 or a salmon4 ,now wait a few minutes4 ,when a fish has missed the fly1 he will not rise again till after a pause--particularly if he has been for some time in the fresh water4 ,now try him again4 ,he has risen1 but he is a dark fish that has been some time in the water1 and he tries to drown the fly with a blow of his tail4 ,i fear you will not hook him except foul1 when most likely he would break you4 ,try the bottom of the pool1 below where ,i caught my fish4 ,,poiet4--,i have tried all the casts1 and nothing rises4 ,,hal4--,come1 we will change the fly for that which ,i used4 ,,poiet4--,now ,i have one3 he has taken the fly under water1 and ,i cannot see him4 ,,hal4--,straighten your line1 and we shall soon see him4 ,he is a sea trout1 but not a large one4 ,,poiet4--,but he fights like a salmon1 and must be near #elbs4 ,,hal4--,under #clbs42 but these fish are always strong and active1 and sometimes give more sport than larger fish4 ,shorten your line1 or he will carry you over the stones and cut the link gut4 ,he is there already3 you have allowed him to carry out too much line2 wind up as quick as you can1 and keep a tight hand upon him4 ,he is now back to a good place1 and in a few minutes more will be spent4 ,i have the net4 ,there1 he is a sea trout of nearly #clbs4 ,this will be a good addition to our dinner3 ,i will crimp him1 that you may compare boiled sea trout with broiled1 and with salmon4 ,now1 if you please1 we will cool this fish at the spring1 and then go to our inn4 ,,poiet4--,if you like4 ,i am endeavouring to find a reason for the effect of crimping and cold in preserving the curd of fish4 ,have you ever thought on this subject8 ,,hal4--,yes3 ,i conclude that the fat of salmon between the flakes of the muscles is mixed with much albumen and gelatine1 and is extremely liable to decompose1 and by keeping it cool1 the decomposition is retarded2 and by the boiling salt and water1 which is of a higher temperature than that of common boiling water1 the albumen is coagulated1 and the curdiness preserved4 ,the crimping1 by preventing the irritability of the fibre from being gradually exhausted1 seems to preserve it so hard and crisp1 that it breaks under the teeth2 and a fresh fish not crimped is generally tough4 ,a friend of mine1 an excellent angler1 has made some experiments on the fat of fish2 and he considers the red colour of trout1 salmon1 and char1 as owing to a peculiar coloured oil1 which may be extracted by alcohol2 and this accounts for the want of it in fish that have fed ill1 and after spawning4 ,in general1 the depth of the red colour and the quantity of curd are proportional4 ,,poiet4--,would not the fish be still better1 or at least possess more curd1 if caught in a net and killed immediately8 ,in the operation of tiring by the reel there must be considerable muscular exertion1 and ,i should suppose expenditure of oily matter4 ,,hal4--,there can be no doubt but the fish would be in a more perfect state for the table from the nets2 yet a fish in high season does not lose so much fat during the short time he is on the hook1 as to make much difference2 and ,i am not sure1 that the action of crimping after does not give a better sort of crispness to the fibre4 ,this1 however1 may be fancy2 we will discuss the matter again at table4 ,see6 our companion on the lake1 the eagle1 is coming down the river1 and has pounced upon a fish in the pool near the sea4 ,,phys4--,i fear he will interfere with our sport3 let us request ,ornither to shoot him4 ,i wish to see him nearer1 and to preserve him as a specimen for the ,zoological ,society4 ,,hal4--,o6 no4 ,he will not spoil our sport2 and ,i think it would be a pity to deprive this spot of one of its poetical ornaments4 ,besides1 the pool where he is now fishing contains scarcely any thing but trout2 it is too shallow for salmon1 who run into the cruives4 ,,poiet4--,i am of your opinion1 and shall use my eloquence to prevent ,ornither from attempting the life of so beautiful a bird2 so majestic in its form1 so well suited to the scenery1 and so picturesque in all its habits4 ,,the ,,innkeeper4--,gentlemen1 dinner is ready4 ,,the ,,dinner4 ,,hal4--,now take your places4 ,what think you of our fish8 ,,phys4--,i never ate better2 but ,i want the ,harvey or ,reading sauce4 ,,hal4--,pray let me intreat you to use no other sauce than the water in which he was boiled4 ,i assure you this is the true ,epicurean way of eating fresh salmon3 and for the trout1 use only a little vinegar and mustard1--a sauce la ,tartare1 without the onions4 ,,poiet4--,well1 nothing can be better2 and ,i do not think fresh net-caught fish can be superior to these4 ,,hal4--,and these snipes are excellent4 ,either my journey has given me an appetite1 or ,i think they are the best ,i ever tasted4 ,,orn4--,they are good1 but ,i have tasted better4 ,,hal4--,where8 ,,orn4--,on the continent2 where the common snipe1 that rests during its migration from the north to the south in the marshes of ,italy and ,carniola1 and the double or solitary snipe1 become so fat1 as to resemble that bird1 which was formerly fattened in ,lincolnshire1 the ruff2 and they have1 ,i think1 a better flavour from being fed on their natural food4 ,,hal4--,at what time have you eaten them8 ,,orn4--,i have eaten them both in spring and autumn2 but the autumnal birds are the best1 and are like the ortolan of ,italy4 ,,hal4--,where does the double snipe winter8 ,,orn4--,i believe in ,africa and ,asia ,minor4 ,they are rarely seen in ,england1 except driven by an east wind in the spring1 or a strong north wind in the autumn4 ,their natural progress is to and from ,finland and ,siberia1 through the continent of ,europe1 to and from the east and south4#e ,in autumn they pass more east1 both because they are aided by west winds1 and because the marshes in the east of ,europe are wetter in that season2 and in spring they return1 but the larger proportion through ,italy1 where they are carried by the ,sirocco1 and which at that time is extremely wet4 ,come1 let us have another bottle of claret3 a pint per man is not too much after such a day's fatigue4 ,,hal4--,you have made me president for these four days1 and ,i forbid it4 ,a half pint of wine for young men in perfect health is enough1 and you will be able to take your exercise better1 and feel better for this abstinence4 ,how few people calculate upon the effects of constantly renewed fever1 in our luxurious system of living in ,england6 ,the heart is made to act too powerfully1 the blood is thrown upon the nobler parts1 and1 with the system of wading adopted by some sportsmen1 whether in shooting or fishing1 is delivered either to the hemorrhoidal veins1 or1 what is worse1 to the head4 ,i have known several free livers1 who have terminated their lives by apoplexy1 or have been rendered miserable by palsy1 in consequence of the joint effects of cold feet and too stimulating a diet2 that is to say1 as much animal food as they could eat1 with a pint or perhaps a bottle of wine per day4 ,be guided by me1 my friends1 and neither drink nor wade4 ,i know there are old men who have done both1 and have enjoyed perfect health2 but these are devil's decoys to the unwary1 and ten suffer for one that escapes4 ,i could quote to you an instance from this very county1 in one of the strongest men ,i have ever known4 ,he was not intemperate1 but he lived luxuriously1 and waded as a salmon fisher for many years in this very river2 but before he was fifty1 palsy deprived him of the use of his limbs1 and he is still a living example of the danger of the system which you are ambitious of adopting4 ,,orn4--,well1 ,i give up the wine1 but ,i intend to wade in ,hancock's boots to-morrow4 ,,hal4--,wear them1 but do not wade in them4 ,the feet must become cold in a stream of water constantly passing over the caoutchouc and leather1 notwithstanding the thick stockings4 ,they are good for keeping the feet warm1 and ,i think where there is exercise1 as in snipe shooting1 they may be used without any bad effects4 ,but ,i advise no one to stand still 7which an angler must do sometimes7 in the water1 even with these ingenious water-proof inventions4 ,all anglers should remember old ,boerhaave's maxims of health1 and act upon them3 8,keep the feet warm1 the head cool1 and the body open40 ,,phys4--,i am sorry we did not examine more minutely the weight and size of the fish we caught1 and compare the anatomy of the salmon and the sea trout2 but we were in too great a hurry to see them on the table1 and our philosophy yielded to our hunger4 ,,hal4--,we shall have plenty of opportunities for this examination2 and we can now walk down to the fishing-house and see probably half a hundred fish of different sizes1 that have been taken in the cruives1 this evening1 and examine them at our leisure4 ,,all4--,let us go6 ,,phys4--,i never saw so many fish of this kind before2 and ,i conclude that heap of smaller fish is composed of trout4 ,,hal4--,certainly4 ,let us compare one of the largest trout with a salmon4 ,i have selected two fresh run fish1 which1 from their curved lower jaws1 are1 ,i conclude1 both males4 ,the salmon you see is broader1 has a tail rather more forked1 and the teeth in proportion are rather smaller4 ,the trout1 likewise1 has larger and more black brown spots on the body2 and the head of the trout is a little larger in proportion4 ,the salmon has #ad spines in the pectoral fins1 #aj in each of the ventral1 #ac in the anal1 #ba in the caudal1 and #ae in the dorsal4 ,the salmon measures #ch inches in length and #ba inches in girth1 and his weight1 as you see1 is #bblbs4 ,the trout has one spine less in the pectoral1 and two less in the anal fin1 and measures #cj inches in length1 and #af inches in girth1 and his weight is #aalbs4 ,we will now open them4 ,the stomach of the salmon1 you perceive1 contains nothing but a little yellow fluid1 and1 though the salmon is twice as large1 does not exceed much in size that of the trout4 ,the stomach of the trout1 unlike that of the salmon1 will be found full of food3 we will open it4 ,see1 there are half digested sand eels which come out of it4 ,,phys4--,but surely the stomachs of salmon must sometimes1 when opened1 contain food8 ,,hal4--,i have opened ten or twelve1 and never found any thing in their stomachs but tape-worms1 bred there1 and some yellow fluid2 but1 ,i believe1 this is generally owing to their being caught at the time of migration1 when they are travelling from the sea upwards1 and do not willingly load themselves with food4 ,their digestion appears to be very quick1 and their habits seem to show1 that after having taken a bait in the river they do not usually seek another1 till the work of digestion is nearly performed3 but when they are taken at sea1 and in rivers in the winter1 food1 ,i am told1 is sometimes found in their stomachs4 ,the sea trout is a much more voracious fish1 and1 like the land trout1 is not willingly found with an empty stomach4 ,,phys4--,i presume the sea trout is the fish called by ,linnus1 in his ,fauna1 ,salmo ,eriox8 ,,hal4--,i know not3 but ,i should rather think that fish a variety of the common salmon4 ,,phys4--,but there are surely other species of salmon1 that live in the sea and come into our rivers3 ,i have heard of fish called grays1 bull trout1 scurfs1 morts1 peales1 and whitlings4 ,,hal4--,i have never been able to identify more than the salmo salar1 or salmon1 and salmo trutta1 or sea trout1 in the rivers of ,britain and ,ireland4 ,the whitlings ,i believe to be the young of the sea trout4 ,a sea trout which ,i saw in ,ireland1 called a bull trout1 was of the same kind as these you see here1 but fresh water trout are sometimes carried in floods to the sea1 and come back larger and altered in colour and form1 and are then mistaken for new species3 and as each river possesses a peculiar variety belonging to it1 this1 with differences depending upon food and size1 will1 ,i think1 account for the peculiarities of particular fish1 without the necessity of supposing them distinct species4 ,i remember many years ago1 the first time ,i ever fished for salmon in spring in the ,tweed1 ,i caught with the fly1 one fine morning in ,march1 two fish nearly of the same length3 one was a male of the last season1 that had lost its melt2 the other a female fresh from the sea4 ,they were so unlike1 that they did not appear of the same species3 the spent or kipper salmon was long and lean1 showing an immense head1 spotted all over with black and brown spots1 and the belly almost black2 the other bright and silvery1 without spots1 and the head small4 ,even the pectoral and anal fins had more spines in the newly run fish1 some of the smaller ones having been probably rubbed off in spawning by the other4 ,i would not for some time1 till assured by an experienced fisherman1 believe1 that the spent fish was a salmon2 and when their flesh was compared on the table1 one was white1 flabby1 and bad1 and without curd2 the other of the brightest pink1 and full of dense curd4 ,then1 though of the same length1 one weighed only #dlbs41 the other #ilbs4 ,when it is recollected1 that different salmon and sea trout spawn at different times in the same river1 and that fish of the same year1 being born at different seasons1 from ,christmas to ,lady-day1--and having migrated to the sea in spring--run up the rivers of all sizes in summer and autumn--the young salmon from #b to #ajlbs4 in weight1 the young sea trout from to #clbs4 in weight--it is not difficult to account for the variety of names given by casual observers to individuals of these two species4 ,but ,i must not forget my promise of sending a fish to the ,highlander1 with whose sport we have interfered4 ,there is a good salmon1 which shall be taken to him immediately1 and for which ,i shall pay the taxman his usual price of #e;d4 per pound4 ,,fifth ,,day4 ,,halieus--,,poietes--,,ornither--,,phys icus4 ,,morning4 ,,hal4--,,well1 is your tackle all ready8 ,it is a fine fresh and cloudy morning1 with a gentle breeze--a day made for salmon fishing4 ,they proceed to the river4 ,,hal4--,now1 my friends1 ,i give up the two best pools to you till one o'clock2 and ,i shall amuse myself above and below--probably with trout fishing4 ,as there is a promise of a mixed day1 with--what is rare in this country--a good deal of sunshine1 ,i will examine your flies a little1 and point out those ,i think likely to be useful2 or rather1 ,i will show you my flies1 and1 as you all have duplicates of them1 you can each select the fly which ,i point out1 and place in it a part of the book where it may easily be found4 ,first3 when the cloud is on1 ,i advise the use of one of these three golden twisted flies1 with silk bodies1 orange1 red and pale blue1 with red1 orange1 and gray hackle1 golden pheasant's hackle for tail1 and kingfisher's blue and golden pheasant's brown hackle under the wing2 beginning with the brightest fly1 and changing to the darker one4 ,should the clouds disappear1 and it become bright1 change your flies for darker ones1 of which ,i will point out three3--a fly with a brown body and a red cock's hackle1 one with a dun body and black hackle and light wing1 and one with a black body1 a hackle of the same colour1 and a brown mallard's wing4 ,all these flies have1 you see1 silver twist round their bodies1 and all kingfisher's feather under the wing1 and golden pheasant's feather for the tail4 ,for the size of your flies1 ,i recommend the medium size1 as the water is small to-day2 but trying all sizes1 from the butterfly size of a hook of half an inch in width1 to one of a quarter4 ,now1 ,physicus1 cast your orange fly into that rapid at the top of the pool2 ,i saw a large fish run there this moment4 ,you fish well1 were common trout your object2 but1 in salmon fishing1 you must alter your manner of moving the fly4 ,it must not float quietly down the water2 you must allow it to sink a little1 and then pull it back by a gentle jerk--not raising it out of the water1--and then let it sink again1 till it has been shown in motion1 a little below the surface1 in every part of your cast4 ,that is right1--he has risen4 ,,phys4--,i hold him4 ,he is a noble fish6 ,,hal4--,he is a large grilse1 ,i see by his play2 or a young salmon1 of the earliest born this spring4 ,hold him tight2 he will fight hard4 ,,phys4--,there6 he springs out of the water6 ,once1 twice1 thrice1 four times6 ,he is a merry one6 ,,hal4--,he runs against the stream1 and will soon be tired1--but do not hurry him4 ,pull hard now1 to prevent him from running round that stone4 ,he comes in4 ,i will gaff him for you4 ,i have him6 ,a goodly fish of this tide4 ,but see1 ,poietes has a larger fish at the bottom of the great pool1 and is carried down by him almost to the sea4 ,,poiet4--,i cannot hold him6 ,he has run out all my line4 ,,hal4--,i see him3 he is hooked foul1 and ,i fear we shall never recover him1 for he is going out to sea4 ,give me the rod1--,i will try and turn him2 and do you run down to the entrance of the pool1 and throw stones1 to make him1 if possible1 run back4 ,ay6 that stone has done good service2 he is now running up into the pool again4 ,now call the fisherman1 and tell him to bring a long pole1 to keep him if possible from the sea4 ,you have a good assistant1 and ,i will leave you1 for tiring this fish will be at least a work of two hours4 ,he is not much less than #bjlbs4 and is hooked under the gills1 so that you cannot suffocate him by a straight line4 ,i wish you good fortune2 but should he turn sulky1 you must not allow him to rest1 but make the fisherman move him with the pole again2 your chance of killing him depends upon his being kept incessantly in action1 so that he may exhaust himself by exercise4 ,i shall go and catch you some river trout for your dinner2--but ,i am glad to see1 before ,i take my leave of you1 that ,ornither has likewise hold of a fish1--and1 from his activity1 a lusty sea trout4 ,he goes1 and returns in the afternoon4 ,,hal4--,well1 ,poietes1 ,i hope to see your fish of #bjlbs4 ,,poiet4--,alas6 he broke me1--turned sulky1 and went to the bottom2 and when he was roused again1 my line came back without the fly2 so that ,i conclude he had cut my links by rubbing them against some sharp stone4 ,but ,i have caught two grilses and a sea trout since1 and lost two others1 salmons or grilses1 that fairly got the hooks out of their mouths4 ,,hal4--,and1 ,ornither1 what have you done8 ,well1 ,i see1--a salmon1 a grilse1 and a sea trout4 ,and ,physicus8 ,,phys4--,i have lost three fish2 one of which broke me1 at the top of the pool1 by running amongst the rocks2 and ,i have only one small sea trout4 ,,hal4--,your fortune will come another day4 ,why1 you have not a single crimped fish for dinner1 and it is now nearly two o'clock2 and you have been catching for the picklers1 for those fish may all go to the boiling-house4 ,i must again be your purveyor4 ,can you point out to me any part of this pool where you have not fished8 ,,all4--,no4 ,,hal4--,then ,i have little chance4 ,,phys4--,o yes6 you have a charm for catching fish4 ,,hal4--,let me know what flies you have tried1 and ,i may perhaps tell you if ,i have a chance4 ,with my small bright humming bird1 as you call it1 ,i will make an essay4 ,,poiet4--,but this fishery is really very limited2 and two pools for four persons a small allowance4 ,,hal4--,if you could have seen this river twenty years ago1 when the cruives were a mile higher up1 then you might have enjoyed fishing4 ,there were eight or ten pools1 of the finest character possible for angling1 where a fisherman of my acquaintance has hooked thirty fish in a morning4 ,the river was then perfect1 and it might easily be brought again into the same state2 but even as it is now1 with this single good pool and this second tolerable one1 ,i know no place where ,i could1 in the summer months1 be so secure of sport as here--certainly no where in ,great ,britain4 ,,poiet4--,i have often heard the ,tay and the ,tweed vaunted as salmon rivers4 ,,hal4--,they were good salmon rivers1 and are still very good1 as far as the profit of the proprietor is concerned2 but1 for angling1 they are very much deteriorated4 ,the net fishing1 which is constantly going on1 except on ,sundays and in close time1 suffers very few fish to escape2 and a ,sunday's flood offers the sole chance of a good day's sport1 and this only in particular parts of these rivers4 ,i remember the ,tweed and the ,tay in a far better state4 ,the ,tweed1 in the late ,lord ,somerville's time1 always contained taking-fish after every flood in the summer4 ,in the ,tay1 only ten years ago1 at ,mickleure1 ,i was myself one of two anglers who took eight fine fish1--three of them large salmon1--in a short morning's fishing3 but now1 except in spring fishing1 when the fish are little worth taking1 there is no certainty of sport in these rivers2 and one1 two1 or three fish 7which last is of rare occurrence17 are all even an experienced angler can hope to take in a day's skilful and constant angling4 ,,poiet4--,you have fished in most of the salmon rivers of the north of ,europe1--give us some idea of the kind of sport they afford4 ,,hal4--,i have fished in some1 but perhaps not in the best2 for this it is necessary to go into barbarous countries--,lapland1 or the extreme north of ,norway2 and ,i have generally loved too much the comforts of life to make any greater sacrifices than such as are made in our present expedition4 ,i have heard the river at ,drontheim boasted of as an excellent salmon river1--and ,i know two worthy anglers who have tried it2 but ,i do not think they took more fish in a day than ,i have sometimes taken in ,scotland and ,ireland4 ,all the ,norwegian rivers that ,i tried 7and they were in the south of ,norway7 contained salmon4 ,i fished in the ,glommen1 one of the largest rivers in ,europe2 in the ,mandals1 which appeared to me the best fitted for taking salmon2 the ,arendal and the ,torrisdale2--but1 though ,i saw salmon rise in all these rivers1 ,i never took a fish larger than a sea trout2 of these ,i always caught many--and even in the fiords1 or small inland salt-water bays2 but ,i think never any one more than a pound in weight4 ,it is true1 ,i was in ,norway in the beginning of ,july1 in exceedingly bright weather1 and when there was no night2 for even at twelve o'clock the sky was so bright1 that ,i read the smallest print in the columns of a newspaper4 ,i was in ,sweden later--in ,august3 ,i fished in the magnificent ,gotha1 below that grand fall ,trolhetta1 which to see is worth a voyage from ,england3 but ,i never raised there any fish worth taking3 yet a gentleman from ,gothenburg told me he had formerly taken large trout there4 ,i caught1 in this noble stream1 a little trout about as long as my hand2 and the only fish ,i got to eat at ,trolhetta was bream4 ,the ,falkenstein1 a darker water1 very like a second-rate ,scotch river--say the ,don--abounds in salmon2 and there ,i had a very good day's fishing4 ,i took six fish1 which gave me great sport2 they were grilses1 under #flbs2 but ,i lost a salmon1 which ,i think was above #ajlbs4 ,this river1 ,i conceive1 must be1 generally1 excellent2 it is not covered with saw-mills1 like most of the ,norwegian rivers2 its colour is good1 and it is not so clear as the rivers of the south of ,norway4 ,,phys4--,do you think the saw-mills hurt the fishing8 ,,hal4--,i do not doubt it4 ,the immense quantity of sawdust which floats in the water1 and which forms almost hills along the banks1 must be poisonous to the fish1 by sometimes choking their gills1 and interfering with their respiration4 ,i have never fished for salmon in ,germany4 ,the ,elbe and the ,weser1 when ,i have seen them1 were too foul for fly fishing2 and in the ,rhine1 in ,switzerland1 and its tributary streams1 ,i have never seen a salmon rise4 ,i once hooked a fish1 under the fall at ,schaffausen1 which in my youthful ardour ,i thought was a salmon1 but it turned out to be an immense chub--a villanous and provoking substitute4 ,and our islands1 as far as ,i know1 may claim the superiority over all other lands for this species of amusement4 ,in ,england it is1 however1 a little difficult to get a day's salmon fishing4 ,the best river ,i know of is the ,derwent1 that flows from the beautiful lake of ,keswick2 and ,i caught once1 in ,october1 a very large salmon there1 and raised another2 but it is only late in the autumn1 that there is any chance of sport1 though ,i have heard the spring salmon fishing boasted of4 ,at ,whitwell1 in the ,hodder1 ,i have heard of salmon and sea trout being taken--but ,i have never fished in that river4 ,the late ,lord ,bolinbroke caught many salmon at ,christchurch2 but a fish a week is as much as can be expected in that beautiful1 but scantily stocked1 river4 ,small salmon and sea trout1 or sewens1 as they are called in the country1 may be caught1 after the autumnal floods1 ,i believe1 in most of the considerable ,welsh1 ,devonshire1 and ,cornish streams2 but ,i have fished in many of them without success4 ,the ,conway ,i may except3 this river1 in the end of ,october1 will sometimes1 after a great flood1 furnish a good day's sport1 and1 if the net fishers could be set aside1 several days' sport4 ,i have known two salmon1 one above #bjlbs41 taken here in a day2 and ,i have taken myself fine sea trout1 or sewens1--which1 in an autumnal flood in ,wales1 are found in most of the streams near the sea4 ,,poiet4--,i have heard a ,northumberland man boast of the rivers of that county1 as affording good salmon fishing4 ,,hal4--,i have no doubt that salmon are sometimes caught in the ,tyne1 the ,coquet1 and the ,till2 but1 in the present state of these rivers1 this is a rare occurrence4 ,i was once1 for a week1 on a good run of the ,north ,tyne2 ,i fished sometimes1 but ,i never saw a salmon rise2 and the only place in this river1 where1 from my own knowledge1 ,i can assert salmon have been caught with the artificial fly1 was at ,mounsey1 very high up the river4 ,there1 in #ahbj1 two grilses were caught1 in the end of ,august4 ,i have recorded this as a sort of historical occurrence2 and ,i dare say most of the counties of ,england1 in which there are salmon rivers1 would1 upon a minute inquiry1 furnish such instances1 if they contained salmon fishers4 ,yorkshire1 ,devonshire1 and ,cornwall1 with the sea on both sides1 ought to furnish a greater number4 ,,phys4--,give us some little account of the ,scotch and ,irish rivers4 ,,hal4--,i fear ,i shall tire you by attempting any details on this subject1 for they are so many1 that ,i ought to take a map in my hands2 but ,i will say a few words on those in which ,i have had good sport4 ,first1 the ,tweed3--of this1 as you will understand from what ,i mentioned before1 ,i fear ,i must now say 8fuit40 ,yet still1 for spring salmon fishing1 it must be a good river4 ,the last great sport ,i had in that river was in #ahag1 in the beginning of ,april4 ,i caught1 in two or three hours1 at ,merton1 four or five large salmon1 and as many in the evening at ,kelso--and one of them weighed #belbs4 ,but this kind of fishing cannot be compared to the summer fishing3 the fish play with much less energy1 and in general are in bad season2 and the fly used for fishing is almost like a bird--four or five times larger than the summer fly1 and the coarsest tackle may be employed4 ,i have heard1 that ,lord ,home has sometimes taken thirty fish in a day1 in spring fishing4 ,about1 and above ,melrose1 ,i have taken1 in a morning in ,july1 two or three grilses2 and in ,september the same number4 ,i have known eighteen taken earlier1 by an excellent salmon fisher1 at ,merton2 and the late ,lord ,somerville often took six or seven fish in a day's angling4 ,the same 8fuit0 ,i must apply to most of the ,scotch rivers4 ,of the ,tay ,i have already spoken4 ,in the ,dee ,i have never caught salmon1 though ,i have fished in two parts of it1 but it was in bad seasons4 ,in the ,don ,i have seen salmon rise1 and hooked one1 but never killed a fish4 ,in the ,spey ,i enjoyed one of the best days' sport 7perhaps the very best7 ,i ever had in my life3 it was in the beginning of ,september1 in close time2 the water was low1 and as net fishing had been given over for some days1 the lower pools were full of fish4 ,by a privilege1 which ,i owed to the late ,duke of ,gordon1 ,i fished at this forbidden time1 and hooked twelve or thirteen fish in one day4 ,one was above #cjlbs41 but it broke me by the derangement of my reel4 ,i landed seven or eight1--one above #bjlbs41 which gave me great play in the rapids above the bridge4 ,i returned to this same spot in #ahac1 the year after3 the river was in excellent order1 and it was the same time of the year1 but just after a flood1--,i caught nothing2 the fish had all run up the river2 the pools1 where ,i had such sport the year before1 were empty4 ,i have fished there since1 with a like result1--but this was before the #abth of ,august1 the close day4 ,in the ,sutherland and ,caithness rivers1 many salmon1 ,i have no doubt1 may still be caught4 ,the ,brora1 ,sutherland1 in #ahac and #ahad1 was an admirable river3 ,i have often rode from the mansion of the princely and hospitable lord and lady of that county1 after breakfast1 and returned at two or three o'clock1 having taken from three to eight salmon--several times eight4 ,there were five pools below the wears of the ,brora1 which always contained fish2 and at the top of one pool1 which from its size was almost inexhaustible1 ,i have taken three or four salmon the same day4 ,another pool1 nearer the sea1 was almost equal to it2 and at that time ,i should have placed the ,brora above the ,ewe for certainty of sport4 ,when ,i fished there last1 in #ahag1 the case was altered1 and ,i caught only two or three fish in the very places where ,i had six years before been so successful4 ,in the ,helmsdale there are some good pools1 and ,i have caught fine fish there when the river has been high4 ,i have fished in the river at ,thurso1 but without success--it was always foul when ,i made my attempt4 ,i have heard of a good salmon river in ,lord ,reay's county1 the ,laxford2 its name1 of ,norwegian origin1 would seem to be characteristic4#f ,along the coast of ,scotland1 most of the streams1 if taken at the right time1 afford sport4 ,in this county the ,beauly is a good river1 and ,i have caught salmon in that very beautiful spot below the falls of ,kilmarnock4 ,the ,ness1 at ,inverness1 and the ,awe and ,lochy1 ,i have fished in1 but without success4 ,i may say the same of the ,ayr1 and of the rivers which empty themselves into the ,solway ,frith4 ,a little preserved stream1 at ,ardgowan1 was formerly excellent1 after a flood in ,september1 for sea trout1 and later for salmon3 ,i have had good sport there1 and some of my friends have had better4 ,in ,ireland there are some excellent rivers2 and1 what you will hardly believe possible1 comparing the characters of the two nations1 some of them are taken better care of than the ,scotch river2 which arises a good deal from the influence of the ,catholic priests1 when they are concerned in the interests of the proprietors1 on the ,catholic peasantry4 ,i should place the ,erne1 at ,ballyshannon1 as now the first river1 for salmon fishing from the banks with a rod1 in the ,british dominions2 and the excellent proprietor of it1 ,dr4 ,shiel1 is liberal and courteous to all gentlemen fly fishers4 ,the ,moy1 at ,ballina1 is likewise an admirable salmon river2 and sport1 ,i believe1 may almost always be secured there in every state of the waters2 but the best fishing can only be commanded by the use of a boat4 ,i have taken in the ,erne two or three large salmon in the morning2 and in the ,moy1 three or four grilses1 or1 as they are called in ,ireland1 grauls2 and this was in a very bad season for salmon fishing4 ,the ,bann1 near ,coleraine1 abounds in salmon3 but1 in this river1 except in close time1 when it is unlawful to fish there1 there are few good casts4 ,in the ,bush1 a small river about seven miles to the east of the ,bann1 there is admirable salmon fishing1 always after great floods2 but in fine and dry weather it is of little use to try4 ,i have hooked twenty fish in a day1 after the first ,august floods1 in this river2 and1 should sport fail1 the celebrated ,giant's ,causeway is within a mile of its mouth1 and furnishes to the lovers of natural beauty1 or of geological research1 almost inexhaustible sources of interest4 ,the ,blackwater1 at ,lismore1 is a very good salmon river3 and the ,shannon1 above ,limerick and at ,castle ,connel1 whenever the water is tolerably high1 offers many good casts to the fly fisher2 but they can only be commanded by boats4 ,but there is no considerable river along the northern or western coast1--with the exception of the ,avoca1 which has been spoiled by the copper mines1--that does not afford salmon1 and if taken at the proper time1 offer sport to the salmon fisher4--,but it is time for us to return to our inn4 ,,the ,,inn4 ,,poiet4--,should it be a fine day to-morrow1 ,i think we shall have good sport3 the high tide will bring up fish1 and the rain and wind of yesterday will have enlarged the river4 ,,hal4--,to-morrow we must not fish3 it is the ,lord's day1 and a day of rest4 ,it ought likewise to be a day of worship and thanksgiving to the ,great ,cause of all the benefits and blessings we enjoy in this life1 for which we can never sufficiently express our gratitude4 ,,poiet4--,i cannot see what harm there can be in pursuing an amusement on a ,sunday1 which you yourself have called innocent1 and which is apostolic3 nor do ,i know a more appropriate way of returning thanks to the ,almighty ,cause of all being1 than in examining and wondering at his works in that great temple of nature1 whose canopy is the sky2 and where all the beings and elements around us are as it were proclaiming the power and wisdom of ,deity4 ,,hal4--,i cannot see how the exercise of fishing can add to your devotional feelings2 but1 independent of this1 you employ a servant to carry your net and gaff1 and he1 at least1 has a right to rest on this one day4 ,but even if you could perfectly satisfy yourself as to the abstracted correctness of the practice1 the habits of the country in which we now are1 form an insurmountable obstacle to the pursuit of the amusement3 by indulging in it1 you would excite the indignation of the ,highland peasants1 and might perhaps expiate the offence by a compulsory ablution in the river4 ,,poiet4--,i give up the point3 ,i make it a rule never to shock the prejudices of any person1 even when they appear to me ridiculous2 and ,i shall still less do so in a case where your authority is against me2 and ,i have no taste for undergoing persecution1 when the cause is a better one4 ,i now remember1 that ,i have often heard of the extreme severity with which the sabbath discipline is kept in ,scotland4 ,can you give us the reason of this8 ,,hal4--,i am not sufficiently read in the ,church ,history of ,scotland to give the cause historically2 but ,i think it can hardly be doubted1 that it is connected with the intense feelings of the early ,covenanters1 and their hatred with respect to all the forms and institutes of the church of ,rome1 the ritual of which makes the ,sunday more a day of innocent recreation than severe discipline4 ,,phys4--,yet the disciples of ,calvin1 at ,geneva1 who1 ,i suppose1 must have hated the pope as much as their brethren of ,scotland1 do not so rigidly observe the ,sunday2 and ,i remember having been invited by a very religious and respectable ,genevese to a shooting party on that day4 ,,hal4--,i think climate and the imitative nature of man modify this cause abroad4 ,geneva is a little state1 in a brighter climate than ,scotland1 almost surrounded by ,catholics1 and the habits of the ,french and ,savoyards must influence the people4 ,the ,scotch1 with more severity and simplicity of manners1 have no such examples of bad neighbours1 for the people of the north of ,england keep the ,sunday much in the same way4 ,,poiet4--,nay1 ,halieus1 call them not bad neighbours2 recollect my creed1 and respect at least1 what1 if error1 was the error of the western ,christian world for #ajjj years4 ,the rigid observance of the seventh day appears to me rather a part of the ,mosaic1 than of the ,christian dispensation4 ,the ,protestants of this country consider the ,catholics bigots1 because they enjoin to themselves and perform certain penances for their sins2 and surely the ,catholics may see a little still more resembling that spirit1 in the interference of the ,scotch in innocent amusements1 on a day celebrated as a festive day1 that on which our ,saviour rose to immortal life1 and secured the everlasting hopes of the ,christian4 ,i see no reason why this day should not be celebrated with singing1 dancing1 and triumphal processions1 and all innocent signs of gladness and joy4 ,i see no reason why it should be given up to severe and solitary prayers1 or to solemn and dull walks2 or why1 as in ,scotland1 whistling even should be considered as a crime on ,sunday1 and humming a tune1 however sacred1 out of doors1 as a reason for violent anger and persecution4 ,,orn4--,i agree with ,poietes1 in his views of the subject4 ,i have suffered from the peculiar habits of the ,scotch church1 and therefore may complain4 ,once in the north of ,ireland1 when a very young man1 ,i ventured after the time of divine service to put together my rods1 as ,i had been used to do in the ,catholic districts of ,ireland1 and fish for sea trout in the river at ,rathmelton1 in pure innocence of heart1 unconscious of wrong1 when ,i found a crowd collect round me--at first ,i thought from mere curiosity1 but ,i soon discovered ,i was mistaken2 anger was their motive1 and vengeance their object4 ,a man soon came up1 exceedingly drunk1 and began to abuse me by various indecent terms3 such as a ,sabbath breaking papist1 c4 ,it was in vain ,i assured him ,i was no papist1 and no intentional ,sabbath breaker2 he seized my rod and carried it off with imprecations2 and it was only with great difficulty1 and in exciting by my eloquence the pity of some women who were present1 and who thought ,i was an ill-used stranger1 that ,i recovered my property4 ,another time ,i was walking on ,arthur's ,seat1 with some of the most distinguished professors of ,edinburgh attached to the geological opinions of the late ,dr4 ,hutton2 a discussion took place upon the phenomena presented by the rocks under our feet1 and1 to exemplify a principle1 ,professor ,playfair broke some stones1 in which ,i assisted the venerable and amiable philosopher4 ,we had hardly examined the fragments1 when a man from a crowd1 who had been assisting at a field preaching1 came up to us and warned us off1 saying1 8,ye think ye are only stane breakers2 but ,i ken ye are ,sabbath breakers1 and ye deserve to be staned with your ain stanes60 ,,hal4--,zeal of every kind is sometimes troublesome1 yet ,i generally suspect the persons1 who are very tolerant1 of scepticism4 ,those who firmly believe1 that a particular plan of conduct is essential to the eternal welfare of man1 may be pardoned if they show even anger1 when this conduct is not pursued4 ,the severe observance of the ,sabbath is connected with the vital creed of these rigid presbyterians2 it is not therefore extraordinary1 that they should enforce it even with a perseverance that goes beyond the bounds of good manners and courtesy4 ,they may quote the example of our ,saviour1 who expelled the traders from the temple even by violence4 ,,phys4--,i envy no quality of the mind or intellect in others2 be it genius1 power1 wit1 or fancy3 but if ,i could choose what would be most delightful1 and ,i believe most useful to me1 ,i should prefer a firm religious belief to every other blessing2 for it makes life a discipline of goodness2 creates new hopes1 when all earthly hopes vanish2 and throws over the decay1 the destruction of existence1 the most gorgeous of all lights2 awakens life even in death1 and from corruption and decay calls up beauty and divinity2 makes an instrument of torture and of shame the ladder of ascent to paradise3 and1 far above all combinations of earthly hopes1 calls up the most delightful visions of palms and amaranths1 the gardens of the blest1 the security of everlasting joys1 where the sensualist and the sceptic view only gloom1 decay1 annihilation1 and despair6 ,,poiet4--,you transiently referred1 ,halieus1 yesterday1 to that instinct of salmons which induces them to run up rivers from the sea on the approach of rain4 ,you have had so many opportunities of attending to the instincts of the inferior animals1 that ,i should be very glad to hear your opinion on that very curious subject1 the nature and developement of instincts in general4 ,,hal4--,you must remember1 that1 in the conversation to which you allude1 ,i avoided even to pretend to define the nature of instinct2 but ,i shall willingly discuss the subject2 and ,i expect from yourself1 ,ornither and ,physicus1 more light thrown upon it than ,i can hope to bestow4 ,,orn4--,i believe we have each a peculiar view on this matter4 ,in discussion we may enlighten and correct each other4 ,for myself1 ,i consider instincts merely as results of organization1 a part of the machinery of organized forms4 ,man is so constituted1 that his muscles acquire their power by habit2 their motions are at first automatic1 and become voluntary by associations1 so that a child must learn to walk as he learns to swim or write2 but in the colt or chicken1 the limbs are formed with the powers of motion2 and these animals walk as soon as they have quitted the womb or the egg4 ,,phys4--,i believe it possible1 that they may have acquired these powers of motion in the embryo state2 and ,i think ,i have observed1 that birds learn to fly1 and acquire the use of their wings1 by continued efforts1 in the same manner as a child does that of his limbs4 ,,orn4--,i cannot agree with you3 the legs of the ftus are folded up in the womb of the mare2 and neither the colt nor the chicken can ever have performed1 in the embryo state1 any motions of their legs similar to those which they have perfectly at their command when born4 ,young birds cannot fly as soon as they are hatched1 because they have no wing feathers2 but as soon as these are developed1 and even before they are perfectly strong1 they use their wings1 fly1 and quit their nests without any education from their parents4 ,compare a young quail1 when a few days old1 with a child of as many months3 he flies1 runs1 seeks his food1 avoids danger1 and obeys the call of his mother2 whilst a child is perfectly helpless1 and can perform few voluntary motions3 has barely learnt to grasp1 and can neither stand nor walk4 ,but to see the most perfect instance of instinct1 as contrasted with acquired knowledge1 look at common domestic poultry1 as soon as they are excluded from the egg3 they run round their mother1 nestle in her feathers1 and obey her call1 without education3 she leads them to some spot where there is soft earth or dung1 and instantly begins scratching with her feet2 the chickens watch her motions with the utmost attention2 if an earthworm or larva is turned up1 they instantly seize and devour it1 but they avoid eating sticks1 grass1 or straws2 and though the hen shows them the example of picking up grain1 they do not imitate her in this respect1 but for some days prefer ants1 or the larv of ants1 to a barley corn4 ,they may have heard the cluck of their mother in the egg1 and having felt the warmth of her feathers agreeable1 you may consider1 ,physicus1 their collecting under her wings1 and obeying her call1 as an acquired habit4 ,but ,i will mention another circumstance where habit or education is entirely out of the question4 ,does the mother see the shadow of a kite on the ground1 or hear his scream in the air1 she instantly utters a shrill suppressed cry2 the chickens1 though born that day1 and searching round her with glee and animation for the food which her feet were providing for them1 instantly appear as if thunder struck2 those close to her crouch down and hide themselves in the straw2 those further off1 without moving from the place1 remain prostrate2 the hen looks upward with a watchful eye2 nor do they resume their feeding till they have been called again by the cluck of their mother1 and warned that the danger is over4 ,,phys4--,i certainly cannot explain the acquaintance of the little animals with the note of alarm of the mother1 except upon the principle you have adopted2 and ,i fairly own1 that their selection of animal food appears likewise instinctive3 yet it is possible1 that this selection may depend upon some analogy between the smell of these animal matters and the yolk1 which was for a long time their food in the egg4 ,,orn4--,i find ,i must multiply examples4 ,examine young ducks which have been hatched under a hen2 they no sooner quit the shell1 than they fly to their natural element1 the water1 in spite of the great anxiety and terror of their foster-parent1 who in vain repeats that sound to which her natural children are so obedient4 ,being in the water1 they seize insects of every kind1 which they can only know from their instincts to be good for food2 and when they are hatched in the ,may-fly season1 they pursue these large ephemer with the greatest avidity1 and make them their favourite food4 ,it is impossible1 ,i think1 to explain these facts1 except by supposing1 that they depend upon feelings or desires in the animals developed with their organs1 which are not acquired1 and which are absolutely instinctive4 ,i will mention another instance4 ,a friend of mine was travelling in the interior of ,ceylon2 on the banks of a lake he saw some fragments of shells of the eggs of the alligator1 and heard a subterraneous sound3 his curiosity was excited1 and he was induced to search beneath the surface of the sand3 besides two or three young animals lately come from the shell1 he found several eggs which were still entire3 he broke the shell of one of them1 when a young alligator came forth1 apparently perfect in all its functions and motions2 and when my friend touched it with a stick1 it assumed a threatning aspect1 and bit the stick with violence4 ,it made towards the water1 which 7though born by the influence of the sunbeams on the burning sand7 it seemed to know was its natural and hereditary domain4 ,here is an animal which1 deserted by its parents1 and entirely submitted to the mercy of nature and the elements1 must die if it had to acquire its knowledge2 but all its powers are given1 all its wants supplied2 and even its means of offence and defence implanted by strong and perfect instincts4 ,i will mention one fact more4 ,swallows1 quails1 and many other birds1 migrate in large flocks when their usual food becomes scarce2 and in these cases it may be said 7,i anticipate a remark of ,physicus71 that the phenomenon depends upon imitation1 and that the young birds follow the old ones who have before made the same flight4 ,but ,i will select the young cuckoo for an unexceptionable example of the instinctive nature of this quality4 ,he is produced from an egg deposited by his mother in the nest of another bird1 generally the hedge sparrow4 ,he destroys all the other young ones hatched in the same nest1 and is supplied with food by his foster-parent1 after he has deprived her of all her natural offspring4 ,quite solitary1 he is no sooner able to fly than he quits the country of his birth1 and finds his way1 with no other guide than his instinct1 to a land where his parents had gone many weeks before him2 and he is not pressed to make this migration by want of food1 for the insects and grains on which he feeds are still abundant4 ,the whole history of the origin1 education1 and migration of this singular animal1 is a history of a succession of instincts1 the more remarkable1 because in many respects contrary to the usual order of nature4 ,,phys4--,i have been accustomed to refer many of the supposed instincts of animals1 such as migrations1 building nests1 and selection of food1 to imitation2 but1 ,i confess1 ,i cannot explain the last fact you have brought forward on this principle4 ,pray1 ,ornither1 let me state your view1 as ,i understand it1 that we may not differ as to the meaning of language4 ,i conclude you adopt ,hartley's view of association1 that the motions of the muscles in man are first automatic1 and become voluntary by association2 and that reason is the application of voluntary motions for a particular end4 ,for instance3 a child is not afraid of fire1 but1 bringing its hand near the fire1 it is burnt1 and the convulsions of the muscles produced by the pain ends in removing the hand from the source of pain4 ,these motions by association are made voluntary2 and after this experiment he avoids the fire by reason1 and takes care always to perform those motions which remove his limbs from this destructive agent4 ,but in contrasting instinct with this slow process1 you would say1 most animals1 without having felt the effects of fire1 have an innate dread of it2 and in the same way1 without having been taught1 or experienced pleasure or pain from the object1 young ducks seek the water1 young chickens avoid it3 their organs have a fitness or unfitness for certain functions1 and they use them for these functions without education4 ,in short1 the instinctive application of the organ is independent of experience1 and forms part of a train of pure sensations4 ,,orn4--,i have no objection to the statement you make of my view of the subject2 but ,i certainly should give to it a little more refinement and generality4 ,in all the results of reason1 ideas are concerned but never in those of instinct4 ,without memory there can be no reason2 but in instinct nothing can be traced but pure sensation4 ,,poiet4--,though in the animal world no ideas seem connected with instincts1 yet they are all intended for specific and intelligent ends4 ,thus the swallow travels to a country where flies are found2 the salmon migrates from the sea to the sources of fresh rivers1 where its eggs may receive a supply of aerated water1 and without this migration the race would be extinct3 and in this way all the instincts of animals may be referred to intelligence1 which1 though not belonging to the animal1 must be attributed to the ,divine ,mind4 ,is it not then reasonable to refer instinct to the immediate impulse of the ,author of ,nature upon his creatures8 ,his omnipresence and omnipotence cannot be doubted1 and to the infinite mind the past1 the present1 and the future are alike2 and creative and conservative power must equally belong to it4 ,,hal4--,that instincts depend upon impulses immediately derived from the ,deity is an opinion which1 though it perhaps cannot be confuted1 yet does not please me so much as to believe them dependent upon the formation of organs1 and the result of the general laws which govern the system of the universe2 and it is in favour of this opinion that they are susceptible of modifications4 ,thus1 in domesticated animals they are always changed2 the turkey and the duck lose their habits of constructing nests1 and the goose does not migrate4 ,in supposing them the result of organization and hereditary1 they might be expected to be changed by circumstances1 as they are actually found to be4 ,without referring the instincts of animals to the immediate impulse of the ,deity1 they appear to me to offer the most irresistible and convincing argument that can be brought forward against atheism4 ,they demonstrate combinations1 the result of the most refined intelligence1 which can only be considered as infinite4 ,take any one of the lowest class of animals1 insects for instance1 not only is their organization fitted to all their wants2 but their association in society is provided for1 and the laws of a perfect social community1 as it were1 are adopted by beings1 that we are sure cannot reason4 ,in the hive bee1 for instance1 the instinct of the workers leads them to adopt and obey a queen2 and if she is taken away from them1 or dies1 they have the power of raising another from offspring in the cells by an almost miraculous process3 they work under her government for a common object1 allow males only to exist for the purpose of impregnating females1 who preserve the society1 and under whose government they send forth swarms1 which readily place themselves under the protection of man4 ,in the geometrical construction of their cells1 the secretion of wax from their bodies1 the collecting their food1 and the care of the brood1 there is a series of results which it requires a strong reason to follow1 and which are the consequences of invariable instincts4 ,bees1 since they have been noticed by naturalists1 have the same habits1 and1 as it is probable that there have been many thousand of generations since the creation1 it is evident1 that the instincts of the first bees have been hereditary and invariable in their offspring2 and it cannot be doubted1 that they do now1 as they did four thousand years ago1 make some cells in combs larger than others for the purpose of containing the eggs and future grubs of drones1 that are to be produced by a grub1 which they are educating for a queen bee2 and that these cells are connected with the common cells by a series1 in which the most exact geometrical laws of transition are observed4 ,an eminent philosopher has deduced an argument in favour of the existence of ,deity from the analogy of the universe to a piece of mechanism1 which could only be the work of an intelligent mind2 but there is this difference3 in all the productions of nature1 the principle1 not only of perfection1 but likewise of conservation1 is found1 marking a species of intelligence and power which can be compared to nothing human4 ,the first created swarm of bees contained beings provided with all the instincts necessary for the perpetual continuance of the species2 and some of these instincts can scarcely be understood by man1 requiring the most profound geometrical knowledge1 even to calculate their results2 and other instincts involve what in human society would be the most singular state of policy1 combining contrasted moral causes and contradictory interests4 ,it is impossible not to be lost in awe at the contemplation of this chain of facts2 the human mind cannot fail to acknowledge in them the strongest proofs of their being produced by infinite wisdom and unbounded power2 and the devout philosopher can scarcely avoid considering with respect a little insect1 endowed with faculties producing combinations1 which human reason vainly attempts to imitate1 and can scarcely understand4 ,,phys4--,i agree with you1 that if instinct be supposed the result of organization1 and that the first animal types were so created as to transmit their instincts invariably1 generation after generation1 it does offer a most triumphant and incontrovertible argument for the existence of an all-powerful intelligent ,cause4--,even in the instance which led to this conversation1 the instinct which carries salmon from the sea to the sources of rivers1 it is only lately philosophers have discovered1 that the impregnated eggs cannot produce young fishes independent of the influence of air2 and thus an animal goes many hundred miles under the direction of an instinct1 the use of which human reason has at length developed1 and man is supplied with an abundant food by the result of a combination1 in consequence of which a species is preserved4 ,,poiet4--,i do not understand1 ,halieus1 your objections to the view ,i have adopted1 which is sanctioned by the authority of a good ethic philosopher1 ,addison4 ,allowing the omnipresence and constant power of ,deity1 ,i do not see how you can avoid admitting his actual interference in all the phenomena of living nature4 ,,hal4--,as ,i said before1 ,i cannot confute your view2 but1 upon this principle1 gravitation and the motion of the planets round the sun1 and all the other physical phenomena of the universe1 would be owing to the immediate action of the ,divinity4 ,i prefer the view1 which refers them to motion and properties1 the results of general laws impressed on matter by ,omnipotence4 ,this view is1 ,i think1 simpler2 but it is difficult to form any distinct opinion on so high and incomprehensible a subject1 on which1 perhaps1 after all1 it is wiser to confess our entire ignorance1 and to bow down in humble adoration to the one incomprehensible ,cause of all being4 ,,poiet4--,i agree with you in your last sentence1 but ,i still adhere to my own view1 and ,i hope you will not object to a favourite opinion of mine1 that instincts are to animals what revelation is to man1 intended to supply wants in their physical constitution1 which in man are provided for by reason2 and that revelation is to him as an instinct1 teaching him what reason cannot--his religious duties1 the undying nature of his intellectual part1 and the relations of his conduct to eternal happiness and misery4 ,,hal4--8,davus sum1 non dipus40 ,i will not attempt to discuss this view of yours1 ,poietes2 but ,i think ,i may say1 that all the instincts of animals seem to be connected with pleasure2 and in man the feeling of love and the gratifying the appetites1 which approach nearest to instincts1 are likewise highly delightful1 and perhaps there is no more pleasurable state of the human mind than when1 with intense belief1 it looks forward to another world and to a better state of existence1 or is absorbed in the adoration of the supreme and eternal intelligence4 ,,sixth ,,day4 ,,halieus--,,poietes--,,ornither--,,phys icus4 ,,morning4 ,,hal4--,,well met1 my friends6 ,it is a fine warm morning1 there is a fresh breeze1 the river is in excellent order for fishing1 and ,i trust our good behaviour yesterday will ensure us sport to-day4 ,there must be a great many fresh run fish in the pool2 and after twenty-four hours' rest1 some of those that were indisposed to take on ,saturday evening1 may have acquired appetite4 ,prepare your tackle1 and begin3 but whilst you are preparing1 ,i will mention a circumstance which every accomplished fly fisher ought to know4 ,you changed your flies on ,saturday with the change of weather1 putting the dark flies on for the bright gleams of the sun1 and the gaudy flies when the dark clouds appeared3 now1 ,i will tell you of another principle1 which it is as necessary to know as the change of flies for change of weather2 ,i allude to the different kinds of fly to be used in particular pools1 and even for particular parts of pools4 ,you have fished in this deep pool2 and if you were to change it for a shallower one1 such as that above1 it would be proper to use smaller flies of the same colour2 and in a pool still deeper1 larger flies2 likewise in the rough rapid at the top1 a larger fly may be used than below at the tail of the water3 and in the ,tweed or ,tay1 ,i have often changed my fly thrice in the same pool1 and sometimes with success--using three different flies for the top1 middle1 and bottom4 ,i remember1 that when ,i first saw ,lord ,somerville adopt this fashion1 ,i thought there was fancy in it2 but experience soon proved to me how accomplished a salmon fisher was my excellent and lamented friend1 and ,i adopted the lesson he taught me1 and with good results1 in all bright waters4 ,,poiet4--,i will try the correctness of your principle4 ,look at the fly now on my line2 where would you recommend me to cast it8 ,,hal4--,it is a large gaudy fly1 and is fit for no part of this pool1 except the extremely rough head of the torrent3 there ,i dare say it will take in this state of the waters4 ,,poiet4--,good1 ,i hooked a large fish1 but alas6 he is off3 ,yet ,i thought he was fairly caught4 ,,hal4--,the hook1 ,i think1 turned round at the moment you struck1 and carried off some scales from the outside of his mouth4 ,,poiet4--,you are right3 see1 the scales are on the hook4 ,i cannot raise another fish3 ,i have tried almost all over the pool4 ,i thought ,i saw a fish rise at the tail of the rapid4 ,,hal4--,you did3 he refused the fly4 ,now put on a fly one third of the size and of the same colour1 and ,i think you will hook that fish4 ,,poiet4--,i have done so--and he is fast2 and a fine fish2 ,i think a salmon4 ,,hal4--,it is a salmon1 and one above #ajlbs4 ,play him with care1 and do not let him run into the rough part of the stream1 where the large stones are4 ,,poiet4--,it is1 ,i think1 the most active fish ,i have yet played with4 ,see how high he leaps6 ,he is making for the sea4 ,,hal4--,hold him tight1 or you will lose him4 ,,poiet4--,fear me not4 ,i trust1 in spite of his strength1 ,i shall turn him4 ,you see1 ,i show him the but of the rod1 and his force is counterpoised by a very long lever4 ,,hal4--,you do well4 ,but he has made a violent spring1 and1 ,i fear1 is off4 ,,poiet4--,he is6--but not1 ,i think1 by any fault of mine3 he has carried off something4 ,,hal4--,you played that fish so well1 that ,i am angry at his loss3 either the hook1 link1 or line1 failed you4 ,,poiet4--,it is the hook1 which you see is broken1 and not merely at the barb1 but likewise in the shank4 ,what a fool ,i was ever to use one of these ,london or ,birmingham made hooks4 ,,hal4--,the thing has happened to me often4 ,i now never use any hooks for salmon fishing1 except those which ,i am sure have been made by ,o',shaughnessy1 of ,limerick2 for even those made in ,dublin1 though they seldom break1 yet they now and then bend2 and the ,english hooks1 made of cast steel in imitation of ,irish ones1 are the worst of all4 ,there is a fly nearly of the same colour as that which is destroyed2 and ,i can tell you1 that ,i saw it made at ,limerick by ,o',shaughnessy himself1 and tied on one of his own hooks4 ,should you catch with it a fish even of #cjlbs4 ,i will answer for its strength and temper3 it will neither break nor bend4 ,,poiet4--,whilst ,i am attaching your present1 so kindly made1 to my line1 pray tell me how these hooks are made1 for ,i know you interested yourself in this subject when at ,limerick4 ,,hal4--,most willingly4 ,i have even made a hook1 which1 though a little inferior in form1 in other respects1 ,i think1 ,i could boast as equal to the ,limerick ones4 ,the first requisite in hook-making is to find good malleable iron of the softest and purest kind--such as is procured from the nails of old horse-shoes4 ,this must be converted by cementation with charcoal into good soft steel1 and that into bars or wires of different thickness for different sized hooks1 and then annealed4 ,for the larger hooks1 the bars must be made in such a form as to admit of cutting the barbs2 and each piece1 which serves for two hooks1 is larger at the ends1 so that the bar appears in the form of a double pointed spear1 three1 four1 or five inches long3 the bars for the finer hooks are somewhat flattened4 ,the artist works with two files1 one finer than the other for giving the point and polishing the hook1 and he begins by making the barb1 taking care not to cut too deep1 and filing on a piece of hard wood1 such as box wood1 with a dent to receive the bar1 made by the edge of the file4 ,the barb being made1 the shank is thinned and flattened1 and the polishing file applied to it2 and by a turn of the wrist round a circular pincers1 the necessary degree of curvature is given to it4 ,the hook is then cut from the bar1 heated red hot1 by being kept for a moment in a charcoal fire2 then plunged1 while hot1 into cold water2 then tempered1 by being put on iron1 that has been heated in the same fire till it becomes a bright blue1 and1 whilst still hot1 it is immersed in candle-grease1 where it gains a black colour2 it is then finished4 ,,phys4--,nothing seems simpler than this process4 ,surely ,london might furnish manufacturers for so easy a manipulation2 and ,i should think one of our friends1 who is so admirable a cutler1 might even improve upon the ,irish process2 at least the tempering might be more scientifically arranged2 for instance1 by the thermometer1 and a bath of fusible metal1 the temperature at which steel becomes blue being #ehj ,fahrenheit1 might be constantly preserved4 ,,hal4--,habit teaches our ,irish artists this point with sufficient precision4 ,we should have such hooks in ,england1 but the object of the fishing tackle makers is to obtain them cheap1 and most of their hooks are made to sell1 and good hooks cannot be sold but at a good price4 ,,poiet4--,i have heard formerly a good angler complain1 that the ,limerick hooks were too heavy and clumsy4 ,he preferred hooks made at ,kendal in ,cumberland4 ,,hal4--,i saw1 twenty years ago1 hooks far too heavy made at ,limerick2 but this ,o',shaughnessy is1 ,i think1 a better maker than his father was1 and the curve and the general form of the hook is improved4 ,it has now1 ,i think1 nearly the best form of a curve for catching and holding1 the point protruding a little4 ,the ,kendal hook holds well1 but is not so readily fixed by the pull in the mouth of the fish4 ,the early ,fellows of the ,royal ,society1 who attended to all the useful and common arts1 even improved fish hooks2 and ,prince ,rupert1 an active member of that illustrious body1 taught the art of tempering hooks to a person of the name of ,kirby2 under whose name1 for more than a century1 very good hooks were sold4 ,i shall take a walk towards the lake to enjoy a view of its cloud-capped mountains1 and ,i hope to find1 on my return1 that you have all had your satisfaction in a good day's salmon fishing4 ,,phys4--,we shall crimp and cool a salmon1 if we catch a good one1 for our dinner4 ,,hal4--,do so4 ,,orn4--,but before you leave us1 ,i wish you would be good enough to inform us why the salmon here are so different from those ,i have seen elsewhere3 for instance1 some caught in the ,alness1 in ,rosshire1 which we saw in passing round the south coast of ,ross4 ,these appear to me thicker and brighter fish1 and one that ,i measured was #cj inches long1 and #ag in circumference4 ,,hal4--,i think ,i have seen broader fish than even those of this river2 but the salmon which you happen to remember for comparison1 belonged to a small stream1 which1 ,i think1 in general1 are thinner and longer than those in great rivers2 and what ,i mentioned on a former occasion with respect to trout holds good likewise with regard to salmon2 each river has a distinct kind4 ,it is scarcely possible to doubt1 that the varieties of the salmon1 which haunt the sea1 come to the same rivers to breed in which they were born1 or where they have spawned before4 ,and this could hardly happen unless they confined their migrations to a certain space in the sea1 the boundaries of which may be regarded as the shore and probably deep water1 which may be considered as effectual a limit almost as land2 for fish do not willingly haunt very deep water1 which even in summer is of low temperature1 approaching to #dj1 and contains little or no vegetable food or insects1 which the smaller fishes search for1 and the larger fishes follow the smaller4 ,it is however possible1 that in winter1 all fish fond of heat will seek water rather deeper than in summer2 and char and umbla in lakes are usually found in the deepest parts1 being fond of cool water1 and they come to spawn whenever the shallow water of the lakes becomes cool1 in ,october or ,november4 ,we cannot judge of the senses of animals that breathe water1--that separate air from water by their gills2 but it seems probable1 that1 as the quality of the water is connected with their life and health1 they must be exquisitely sensible to changes in water1 and must have similar relations to it1 that an animal with the most delicate nasal organs has to air4 ,a vulture or a dog scents not only particular food and particular game at great distances1 but even makes of the smell a kind of language2 and ,i doubt not1 that when dogs1 that have been blindfolded and carried away from their home1 return to it1 it is by the sense of smelling3 to them each town1 lane1 or field1 must have a particular scent4 ,and ,i have seen even a blind horse1 an animal in which the sense of smelling is less acute1 evidently find his way by it to his master's house and stable1 which was1 indeed1 near a tan-yard4 ,the state of parts of water1 in the sea or great lakes1 produced by the impregnations carried down by particular streams1 is much more permanent than a like state in air3 so that though the knowledge given by the nasal organs may be more easily communicated at a distance by winds1 yet that produced by streams on the bronchi of fishes is more invariable1 and a migratory fish is less likely to be deceived4 ,yet in great floods1 often connected with storms1 or violent motion in the waters near the shore1 salmon sometimes mistake their river4 ,i remember in this way1 owing to a tremendous flood1 catching with the fly a large salmon1 that had mistaken his river1 having come into the ,bush1 near the ,giant's ,causeway1 instead of the ,bann4 ,no fish can be more distinct in the same species than the fish of these two rivers1 their length to their girth being nearly in a ratio of #bj3i and #bj3ac4--;,i am going2 good sport to you4 ,,evening4 ,,hal4--,i am sure ,i may congratulate you on your sport1 for ,i see on the bank a fine salmon1 three grauls or grilses1 and three large sea trout4 ,,orn4--,you have not seen all1 for we have crimped two fish--one a large salmon1 and the other a trout almost a yard long1 and both in excellent season4 ,we have had great sport1 and sport even of a kind which you will not guess at2 for1 when the tide was falling1 the fish ceased to rise at the fly1 and ,i thought of trying them with a bait2 so we sent for our swivel tackle1 and put par or samlet on our hooks1 as we bait for pike--cutting off one ventral fin on one side1 and one pectoral fin on the other2 and making the par spin in the most rapid streams1 we had several runs from fish1 and it was in this way that ,poietes caught this large sea trout1 which gave excellent sport4 ,,hal4--,this kind of fishing is not uncommon4 ,i have often caught salmon in the ,tay1 fishing with pars2 but though the fish ran at the bait1 when they would not rise at the fly while the tide was ebbing1 they would have taken the par better still while it was flowing4 ,,phys4--,from my experience to-day1 ,i conclude the salmon has habits different from the trout2 for ,i think the fish which broke my hook rose again at the artificial fly in the same place4 ,,hal4--,i think you are mistaken4 ,salmon are usually shyer even than trout1 and ,i never knew one in this season1 that had been pricked even slightly1 rise again at the artificial fly in the same pool4 ,i should say1 that their habits were precisely the same1 but with more sagacity on the side of the salmon4 ,it must have been another fish that rose at your fly in the same place4 ,after such severe discipline1 ,i do not think a fish would rise for many hours1 even at a natural bait4 ,,poiet4--,your experience is so great1 that ,i dare say ,i was mistaken1 yet it seemed a fish of the same size4 ,,hal4--,salmon often in this season haunt the streams in pairs2 but so far from rising again after being pricked1 they appear to me to learn1 when they have been some time in the river1 that the artificial fly is not food1 even without having been touched by the hook4 ,in the river at ,galway1 in ,ireland1 ,i have seen above the bridge some hundreds of salmon lying in rapid streams1 and from five to ten fishermen tempting them with every variety of fly1 but in vain4 ,after a fish had been thrown over a few times1 and risen once or twice and refused the fly1 he rarely ever took any notice of it again in that place4 ,it was generally nearest the tide that fish were taken1 and the place next the sea was the most successful stand1 and the most coveted2 and when the water is low and clear in this river1 the ,galway fishermen resort to the practice of fishing with a naked hook1 endeavouring to entangle it in the bodies of the fish2 a most unartistlike practice4 ,in spring fishing1 ,i have known a hungry1 half-starved salmon rise at the artificial fly a second time1 after having been very slightly touched by it2 but even this rarely happens1 and when ,i have seen it1 the water has been coloured4 ,,phys4--,can you tell us why the fish rise better at the fly when the tide is flowing1 than when it is ebbing8 ,there seems no reason why flies should be sought for by the fish at one of these seasons1 rather than at the other4 ,,hal4--,the turn of the salt water brings up aquatic insects1 and perhaps small fish2 and ,i suppose salmon know this1 and search for food at a time when it is likely to be found4 ,i cannot think1 that in these pools they can be on the look-out for flies1 for there are never any on the surface of the water2 and ,i imagine they take the gaudy fly1 with its blue kingfisher and golden pheasant's feathers1 for a small fish4 ,,orn4--,i have always supposed that they took it for a libella1 or dragon-fly2 for ,i have often seen these brilliant flies haunting the water4 ,,hal4--,i never saw a dragon-fly drop on the water1 or taken by a fish2 and salmon sometimes rise even in the salt water1 where dragon-flies are never found4 ,there is no difficulty in explaining why salmon in inland rivers should take flies1 where natural flies are abundant2 but fish1 when they have lain long in pools in the river and fed on natural flies1 will no longer take these bright flies1 and then even a trout-fly is often most successful4 ,i have sometimes thought that the rising of salmon and sea trout at these bright flies1 as soon as they come from the sea into rivers1 might depend upon a sort of imperfect memory of their early food and habits2 for flies form a great part of the food of the salmon fry1 which1 for a month or two after they are hatched1 feed like young trouts--and in ,march and ,april the spring flies are their principal nourishment4 ,in going back to fresh water1 they may perhaps have their habits of feeding recalled to them1 and naturally search for their food at the surface4 ,,poiet4--,this appears to me very probable4--,but it is late1 and we must return and compare the crimped trout and salmon2 and ,i hope we shall have another good day to-morrow1 for the clouds are red in the west4 ,,phys4--,i have no doubt of it1 for the red has a tint of purple4 ,,hal4--,do you know why this tint portends fine weather8 ,,phys4--,the air1 when dry1 ,i believe1 refracts more red1 or heat-making1 rays2 and as dry air is not perfectly transparent1 they are again reflected in the horizon4 ,i have generally observed a coppery or yellow sunset to foretel rain2 but1 as an indication of wet weather approaching1 nothing is more certain than a halo round the moon1 which is produced by the precipitated water2 and the larger the circle1 the nearer the clouds1 and consequently the more ready to fall4 ,,hal4--,i have often observed1 that the old proverb is correct-- ,a rainbow in the morning is the shepherd's warning3 ,a rainbow at night is the shepherd's delight4 ,can you explain this omen8 ,,phys4--,a rainbow can only occur when the clouds containing1 or depositing1 the rain are opposite to the sun1--and in the evening the rainbow is in the east1 and in the morning in the west2 and as our heavy rains1 in this climate1 are usually brought by the westerly wind1 a rainbow in the west indicates1 that the bad weather is on the road1 by the wind1 to us2 whereas the rainbow in the east proves1 that the rain in these clouds is passing from us4 ,,poiet4--,i have often observed1 that when the swallows fly high1 fine weather is to be expected or continued2 but when they fly low1 and close to the ground1 rain is almost surely approaching4 ,can you account for this8 ,,hal4--,swallows follow the flies and gnats1 and flies and gnats usually delight in warm strata of air2 and as warm air is lighter1 and usually moister1 than cold air1 when the warm strata of air are high1 there is less chance of moisture being thrown down from them by the mixture with cold air2 but when the warm and moist air is close to the surface1 it is almost certain1 that1 as the cold air flows down into it1 a deposition of water will take place4 ,,poiet4--,i have often seen sea-gulls assemble on the land1 and have almost always observed1 that very stormy and rainy weather was approaching4 ,i conclude1 that these animals1 sensible of a current of air approaching from the ocean1 retire to the land to shelter themselves from the storm4 ,,orn4--,no such thing4 ,the storm is their element2 and the little petrel enjoys the heaviest gale1 because1 living on the smaller sea insects1 he is sure to find his food in the spray of a heavy wave--and you may see him flitting above the edge of the highest surge4 ,i believe1 that the reason of this migration of seagulls1 and other sea birds1 to the land1 is their security of finding food4 ,they may be observed1 at this time1 feeding greedily on the earth worms and larv1 driven out of the ground by severe floods2 and the fish1 on which they prey in fine weather in the sea1 leave the surface1 when storms prevail and go deeper4 ,the search after food1 as we agreed on a former occasion1 is the principal cause why animals change their places4 ,the different tribes of the wading birds always migrate when rain is about to take place2 and ,i remember once1 in ,italy1 having been long waiting1 in the end of ,march1 for the arrival of the double snipe in the ,campagna of ,rome1--a great flight appeared on the #c;d of ,april1 and the day after heavy rain set in1 which greatly interfered with my sport4 ,the vulture1 upon the same principle1 follows armies2 and ,i have no doubt1 that the augury of the ancients was a good deal founded upon the observation of the instincts of birds4 ,there are many superstitions of the vulgar owing to the same source4 ,for anglers1 in spring1 it is always unlucky to see single magpies1--but two may be always regarded as a favourable omen2 and the reason is1 that in cold and stormy weather one magpie alone leaves the nest in search of food1 the other remaining sitting upon the eggs or the young ones2 but when two go out together1 the weather is warm and mild1 and thus favourable for fishing4 ,,poiet4--,the singular connexions of causes and effects1 to which you have just referred1 make superstition less to be wondered at1 particularly amongst the vulgar2 and when two facts1 naturally unconnected1 have been accidentally coincident1 it is not singular that this coincidence should have been observed and registered1 and that omens of the most absurd kind should be trusted in4 ,in the west of ,england1 half a century ago1 a particular hollow noise on the sea coast was referred to a spirit or goblin1 called ,bucca1 and was supposed to foretel a shipwreck3 the philosopher knows1 that sound travels much faster than currents in the air--and the sound always foretold the approach of a very heavy storm1 which seldom takes place on that wild and rocky coast1 surrounded as it is by the ,atlantic1 without a shipwreck on some part of its extensive shores4 ,,phys4--,all the instances of omens you have mentioned are founded on reason2 but how can you explain such absurdities as ,friday being an unlucky day1 the terror of spilling salt1 or meeting an old woman8 ,i knew a man1 of very high dignity1 who was exceedingly moved by these omens1 and who never went out shooting without a bittern's claw fastened to his buttonhole by a ribband--which he thought ensured him good luck4 ,,poiet4--,these1 as well as the omens of death watches1 dreams1 c41 are for the most part founded upon some accidental coincidences2 but spilling of salt1 on an uncommon occasion1 may1 as ,i have known it1 arise from a disposition to apoplexy1 shown by an incipient numbness in the hand1 and may be a fatal symptom2 and persons1 dispirited by bad omens1 sometimes prepare the way for evil fortune2 for confidence in success is a great means of ensuring it4 ,the dream of ,brutus1 before the field of ,philippi1 probably produced a species of irresolution and despondency1 which was the principal cause of his losing the battle3 and ,i have heard1 that the illustrious sportsman1 to whom you referred just now1 was always observed to shoot ill1 because he shot carelessly1 after one of his dispiriting omens4 ,,hal4--,i have in life met with a few things1 which ,i found it impossible to explain1 either by chance coincidences or by natural connexions2 and ,i have known minds of a very superior class affected by them1--persons in the habit of reasoning deeply and profoundly4 ,,phys4--,in my opinion1 profound minds are the most likely to think lightly of the resources of human reason3 it is the pert1 superficial thinker who is generally strongest in every kind of unbelief4 ,the deep philosopher sees chains of causes and effects so wonderfully and strangely linked together1 that he is usually the last person to decide upon the impossibility of any two series of events being independent of each other2 and in science1 so many natural miracles1 as it were1 have been brought to light1--such as the fall of stones from meteors in the atmosphere1 the disarming a thunder cloud by a metallic point1 the production of fire from ice by a metal white as silver1 and referring certain laws of motion of the sea to the moon1--that the physical inquirer is seldom disposed to assert1 confidently1 on any abstruse subjects belonging to the order of natural things1 and still less so on those relating to the more mysterious relations of moral events and intellectual natures4 ,,seventh ,,day4 ,,halieus--,,poietes--,,ornither--,,phys icus4 ,,grayling ,,fishing4 ,scene--,leintwardine1 near ,ludlow4 ,time--,beginning of ,october4 ,,hal4--,,you have reached your quarters4 ,here is your home--a rural1 peaceable1 and unassuming inn1 with as worthy a host and hostess as may be found in this part of the country4 ,the river glides at the bottom of the garden1 and there is no stream in ,england more productive of grayling4 ,the surrounding scenery is not devoid of interest1 and the grounds in the distance are covered with stately woods1 and laid out 7or rather their natural beauties developed7 by the hand of a master1 whose liberal and enlightened mind even condescended to regard the amusements of the angler2 and he could hardly have contributed in a more effectual manner to their comforts1 than by placing the good people1 who were once his servants1 in this comfortable inn4 ,,phys4--,are we to fish according to any rule1 as to quantity or size of fish8 ,,hal4--,you are at perfect liberty to fish as you like2 but as it is possible you may catch grayling only of this year1 and which are not longer than the hand1 ,i conclude you will return such pigmies to the river1 as a matter of propriety1 though not of necessity4 ,,poiet4--,this river seems formed of two other streams1 which join above our inn4 ,what are the names of its sources8 ,,hal4--,the small river to the left is called the ,teme1 or ,little ,teme1 and though the least stream1 it gives name to the river3 the other1 and more copious stream1 is called the ,clun4 ,the ,little ,teme contains principally trout2 the ,clun1 both trout and grayling3 but the fish are more abundant in the meadows1 between this place and ,downton1 than in other parts of the river2 for above1 the stream is too rapid and shallow to be favourable to their increase2 and below1 it is joined by other streams1 and becomes too abundant in coarse fish4 ,,poiet4--,i cannot understand why the grayling should be so scarce a fish in ,england4 ,it is abundant in many districts on the continent2 but in this island it is found1 ,i believe1 only in a few rivers1 and does not exist1 ,i think1 either in ,ireland or ,scotland4 ,yet1 being an ,alpine fish1 and naturally fond of cool water1 it might have been expected among the ,highlands4 ,,hal4--,i formerly used to account for this1 by supposing it an imported fish1 and not indigenous2 but1 in some of my continental excursions1 ,i have seen it living only under such peculiar circumstances1 that ,i doubt the correctness of this my early opinion4 ,,poiet4--,which was1 ,i conclude1 that it was introduced by the monks1 in the time when ,england was under the ,see of ,rome4 ,as a favourite fish of ,st4 ,ambrose it was worth cultivating1 as well as for its own sake2 and ,i think you have done wrong to relinquish this idea1 for1 as far as my recollection serves me1 the rivers that contain it are near the ruins of great monasteries4 ,the ,avon1 near ,salisbury2 the ,ure1 near ,fountain's ,abbey2 the ,wye1 near the great ,abbey of ,tintern2 and1 if ,i am not mistaken1 in the lower part of this valley there are the remains of an extensive establishment of friars4 ,,hal4--,but there are rivers near the ruins of some of the most magnificent establishments of this kind in ,europe1 and those nearest the continent1 where the grayling is not found2 for instance1 in the ,stour1 at ,canterbury4 ,and if the grayling be an imported fish1 it is wonderful1 that it should not be found in the rivers in ,kent1 and along the south-west coast of ,england1 as in ,dorsetshire1 ,devonshire1 and ,cornwall1 where the monastic establishments were numerous2 and why it should be found in some rivers in the mountainous parts of ,wales1 as in that near ,llan-wrted and the ,dee2 not near ,val ,crusis ,abbey1 but fifteen miles higher up1 between ,corwen and ,bala4 ,,poiet4--,it may have been a fish imported from the continent1 and carried to a number of rivers1 only a few of which may have suited its habits1 and has remained there and multiplied4 ,,hal4--,there may be truth in what you are now imagining1 for the grayling requires a number of circumstances in a river to enable it to increase4 ,,poiet4--,what circumstances are these8 ,,hal4--,a temperature in the water which must be moderate--neither too high nor too low4 ,grayling are never found in streams that run from glaciers--at least near their source2 and they are killed by cold or heat4 ,i once put some grayling from the ,teme1 in ,september1 with some trout1 into a confined water1 rising from a spring in the yard at ,downton2 the grayling all died1 but the trout lived4 ,and in the hot summer of #ahbe1 great numbers of large grayling died in the ,avon1 below ,ringwood1 without doubt killed by the heat in ,july4 ,,poiet4--,but ,i have heard of grayling being common in ,lapland--at least so says ,linnus4 ,,hal4--,i think it must be another species of the same genus2 the same as ,back's grayling found by ,captain ,franklin and his companions in ,north ,america1 and distinguished by a much larger back fin4 ,having travelled with the fishing-rod in my hand through most of the ,alpine valleys in the south and east of ,europe1 and some of those in ,norway and ,sweden1 ,i have always found the char in the coldest and highest waters2 the trout1 in the brooks rising in the highest and coldest mountains2 and the grayling always lower1 where the temperature was milder3 and if in hot countries1 only at the foot of mountains1 not far from sources which had the mean temperature of the atmosphere1--as in the ,vipacco1 near ,goritzia1 and in the streams which gush forth from the limestone caverns of the ,nordic ,alps4 ,besides temperature1 grayling require a peculiar character in the disposition of the water of rivers4 ,they do not dwell1 like trout1 in rapid shallow torrents2 nor1 like char or chub1 in deep pools or lakes4 ,they require a combination of stream and pool2 they like a deep still pool for rest1 and a rapid stream above1 and a gradually declining shallow below1 and a bottom where marl or loam is mixed with gravel2 and they are not found abundant except in rivers that have these characters4 ,it is impossible to have a more perfect specimen of a grayling river than that now running before us1 in this part of its course4 ,you see a succession of deep still pools under shady banks of marl1 with gentle rapids above1 and a long shelving tail1 where the fish sport and feed4 ,should there be no such pools in a river1 grayling would remain1 provided the water was clear1 and would breed2 but they cannot stem rapid streams1 and they are gradually carried down lower and lower1 and at last disappear4 ,you know the ,test1 one of the finest trout streams in ,hampshire1 and of course in ,england2 when ,i first knew this stream1 twenty years ago1 there were no grayling in it4 ,a gentleman brought some from the ,avon1 and introduced them into the river at ,longstock1 above ,stockbridge4 ,they were for two or three years very abundant in that part of the river2 but they gradually descended1 and though they multiplied greatly1 there are now scarcely any above ,stockbridge4 ,there were1 four years ago1 many in the river just below2 but this year there are very few there1 and the great proportion that remains is found below ,houghton4 ,i ought to mention1 that the water is particularly fitted for them1 and they become larger in this river than in their native place1 the ,avon1--some of them weighing between #c and #dlbs4 ,the trout1 in all its habits of migration1 runs upward1 seeking the fresh and cool waters of mountain sources to spawn in3 the grayling1 ,i believe1 has never the same habit of running up stream2 ,i never saw one leaping at a fall1 where trout are so often seen4 ,their large back fin seems intended to enable them to rise and sink rapidly in deep pools2 and the slender nature of the body1 towards the tail1 renders them much more unfit for leaping cataracts than trout and salmon4 ,the temperature of the water1 and its character as to still and stream1 seem of more importance than clearness2 for ,i have seen grayling taken in streams1 that are almost constantly turbid1--as in the ,inn and the ,salza in the ,tyrol4 ,this fish appears to require food of a particular kind1 feeding much upon flies and their larv1 and not usually preying upon small fish1 as the trout4 ,it has a very strong stomach1 in texture like that of the gillaroo trout1 and is exceedingly fond of those larv which inhabit cases1 and are usually covered with sand or gravel4 ,i once caught a grayling in the ,wochain ,save1 that weighed about a pound and a half1 the stomach of which equalled in size a very large walnut1 and contained some small shells1 and two or three white round pebbles as large as small beans4 ,in accordance with their general habits of feeding1 grasshoppers are amongst their usual food in the end of summer and autumn2 and at all seasons1 maggots1 upon fine tackle and a small hook1 offer a secure mode of taking them1--the pool having been previously baited for the purpose of angling1 by throwing in a handful or two a few minutes before4 ,,poiet4--,you just now said1 that you thought the ,lapland fish1 considered by ,linnus as grayling1 was the same as ,back's grayling2 but ,i find1 in the ,appendix to ,captain ,franklin's narration1 two graylings described as belonging to the northern regions1--one the ,coregonus ,signifer1 and another1 which appears to differ very little from it1 except being small in size4 ,this seems to agree as nearly as possible with our grayling1 with a difference of at most one spine in the back fin4 ,may not this in fact be the same fish as the grayling of the ,alps1 only rendered in a succession of generations fit for a colder climate8 ,,hal4--,this is certainly possible3 there is no doubt1 that1 in many successive generations1 animals may be fitted to bear changes1 which would have destroyed their progenitors4 ,it is said by ,bloch1 that graylings are found in the ,caspian ,sea1 and in the ,baltic1--masses of saline water2 though1 as ,i have proved1 the grayling of ,england will not bear even a brackish water1 without dying4 ,and notwithstanding the severity of the winter in high northern latitudes1 streams under the ice may retain a temperature not much lower than some of the ,alpine rivers4 ,i have seen grayling in ,carniola1 in a source at the hottest season not quite #ej2 and as1 in large bodies of water1 the deepest part1 in frost1 is generally the warmest--about #dj1 the degree at which water is heaviest--,i see no reason why grayling may not be habituated to such a temperature--coolness being generally favourable to their existence4 ,but see1 the fog which had filled the valley and hid the mountains from our sight is clearing away1 and ,i fear it will be a hot day4 ,before the sun becomes too bright is the best time for fishing1 in such a day as this4 ,as soon as the fog is fairly off1 the water-flies will begin to appear1 and fish to sport4 ,,phys4--,i see the fog has already disappeared from the deep water in the meadow1 where ,i suppose the warmth of the air from the considerable mass of the water1 is greater2 and which is further removed from the hills sending down currents of cold air1 from the mixture of which with the moist warm air above the river this phenomenon is produced4 ,i see some yellow flies beginning to come out2 they have already felt the influence of the warm air3 and look6 a fish has just risen opposite that bank1 and he rises again3 let us prepare our tackle4 ,,poiet4--,what flies shall we employ8 ,,hal4--,i recommend at least three2 for the grayling lies deeper and is not so shy a fish as the trout2 and1 provided your link is fine1 is not apt to be scared by the cast of flies on the water4 ,the fineness of the link1 and of the guts to which your flies are attached1 is a most essential point1 and the clearer the stream the finer should be the tackle4 ,i have known good fishermen foiled by using a gut of ordinary thickness1 though their fly was of the right size and colour4 ,very slender transparent gut of the colour of the water is one of the most important causes of success in grayling fishing4 ,let me see your book3 ,i will select a fine stretcher4 ,now1 for the lowest fly1 use a yellow-bodied fly1 with red hackle for legs1 and landrail's wing3 for the second1 a blue dun1 with dun body2 and for the highest1 the claret coloured body1 with blue wings2 and let your first dropper fly be about three feet from the stretcher and from the other dropper1 and let the hanging link which attaches them be #c inches long4 ,,phys4--,there are several fish rising3 ,i shall throw at that opposite--he appears large4 ,,hal4--,it is a trout and not a grayling4 ,,phys4--,how do you know8 ,,hal4--,by his mode of rising4 ,he is lying at the top of the water1 taking the flies as they sail down by him1 which a grayling scarcely ever does4 ,he rises rapidly from the bottom or middle of the water1 on the contrary--darting upwards1 and1 having seized his fly1 returns to his station4 ,there6 a grayling has risen4 ,i do not mean1 however1 that this habit is invariable2 ,i have sometimes seen trout feed like grayling1 and grayling like trout1 but neither of these fish emits bubbles of air in rising1 as dace and chub do4 ,,phys4--,i have one6 ,he has taken my blue dun1 and must be a small one1 for he plays with no vigour4 ,,hal4--,he is about lb4--a fish of two years and a half old--very good for the table4 ,i will land him if possible4 ,,phys4--,there6 ,he is off6 ,,hal4--,this happens often with grayling3 their mouths are tender1 and unless the hook catches in the upper lip1 which is rather thick1 it is more than an equal chance that the fish escapes you4 ,,phys4--,here1 ,i have another1 that has taken the stretcher1 and as it is a larger hook1 ,i hope he may be held4 ,he is likewise a larger fish--but how oddly he spins6 ,this1 ,i suppose1 must be owing to his large back fin1 by which the stream carries him round4 ,there he is3 he has quite twisted my link2 it would not be amiss to have swivels for this kind of fishing4 ,,hal4--,it is a fish in good season1--dark above1 fair below1 and weighs1 ,i should suppose1 about #alb4 ,,phys4--,as this is the first grayling ,i have seen of my own taking1 ,i must measure1 weigh1 and examine him4 ,,hal4--,we can do this hereafter4 ,see1 our fish barrel2 he can be kept alive till a more convenient time of the day4 ,,phys4--,i am disposed to gratify my curiosity immediately3 for to acquire information is at least as interesting to me as catching fish4 ,i shall kill him by a blow on the head4 ,he is not1 ,i suppose1 worth crimping afterwards8 ,,hal4--,certainly not1 at this time2 and it is not necessary with a fish of this size1 which ought to be fried2 but if we catch a large grayling1 approaching to #blbs41 he shall be killed1 crimped1 and boiled1 like our ,denham trout2 you will then find him excellent1 and not inferior1 in my opinion1 to the best perch--more like the most exquisitely tasted of all our fish1 the red mullet4 ,,phys4--,out of the water1 this is a handsome fish1 broader round the middle1 and more hog-backed than the trout1 but gracefully tapering towards the tail4 ,the belly1 ,i see1 is silvery with yellow2 and the pectoral1 ventral1 and anal fins are almost gold-coloured2 the back gray with small black spots1 and the back fin of a beautiful bright purple1 with black and blue spots4 ,it has likewise an agreeable odour2 so that both from its colour and smell it does not seem undeserving the title given it by ,st4 ,ambrose1 of the flower of fishes4 ,it measures1 ,i find1 #ad inches in length2 in girth #g4 ,it weighs #ag ounces4 ,it has #aj spines in the pectoral fin1 #bc in the dorsal1 #af in the ventral1 #ad in the anal1 and #ah in the caudal4 ,,hal4--,now for its anatomy4 ,its stomach is very thick1 not unlike that of a char or gillaroo trout1 and contains flies1 gravel1 and larv1 with their cases4 ,the liver and bowels do not differ much from those of a trout2 and the ovaria or roe1 with eggs as large as mustard seed1 are on each side the air bladder4 ,though a thicker fish1 the grayling does not weigh much more than the trout in proportion to his length3 the greater breadth of back is compensated by the more rapid tapering of tail1 and a trout in very high season will sometimes equal in weight a grayling of the same length4 ,the ova in this fish1 and in the species generally1 are very small at this time of the year2 but in the beginning of ,april1 the season of their spawning1 they become nearly as large as the ova of the trout--of the size of pepper-corns4 ,but ,i see1 ,poietes1 your rod is in order1 and there are many fish rising in this deep pool1 some of which are large grayling4 ,the blue dun is on in quantity1 and we have both cloud and wind1 which half an hour ago we had no right to expect4 ,let me advise you to use three flies of different shades of the dun3 the stretcher1 a pale blue with yellow body2 the first dropper1 a winged fly with dun body2 and the third1 a similar fly with dark body4 ,there1 you see2 he rose and refused your stretcher--and again he has a second time refused it4 ,i think the colour of the dubbing is too bright3 try a winged fly for the stretcher with a greenish body4 ,good--he has taken it1 and ought to be a large fish4 ,now we have him3 he is at least sixteen inches long1 and in good season4 ,ornither1 ,i advise you to use the same kind of fly1 and to put up your tackle precisely in the same way as ,poietes has done4 ,,poiet4--,how well they rise6 ,at that moment ,i had two on my line3 one of them is gone1 but ,i hope ,i shall land the other4 ,,hal4--,fish with activity while the cloud lasts4 ,i fear the sun is coming out1 when it will be more difficult to take fish4 ,i shall try the next pool1 and ,i advise you to follow me and fish by turns1--passing each other1 and taking different pools below1 and so wend your way downwards1 fishing wherever you see fish sporting4 ,there is no better part of the river than that pool below you1 and you cannot take a wrong direction4 ,immediately beyond ,burrington ,bridge you will find two excellent pools1 and ,i advise you to go no farther down to-day4 ,if you take a fish approaching #blbs41 keep him alive in the fish barrel for crimping2 the smaller fish you can kill1 and carry with some rushes in your basket2 we shall at least be able to send a dish of grayling to the patron of our sport at ,downton4 ,,noon4 ,,hal4--,well1 gentlemen1 ,i hope you have been successful4 ,,poiet4--,we have had good sport2 but ,i have been for some time reposing on this bank1 and admiring the scene below4 ,how fine are these woods6 ,how beautiful these banks6 the hills in the distance approach to the character of mountains2 and the precipitous cliff1 which forms the summit of that distant elevation1 looks like a diluvian monument1 and as if it had been bared and torn by a deluge1 which it had stemmed4 ,,hal4--,it is one of the ,clee hills1 and its termination is basaltic1 and such rocks usually assume such forms4 ,but though this spot is beautiful1 to-morrow1 ,i hope to show you a more exquisite landscape1--cliffs and woods1 and gushing waters1 of a character still more romantic4 ,we will return to our inn by a shorter road2 but tell me1 have you caught a large fish amongst you1 and preserved him for crimping8 ,,poiet4--,we have preserved two fishes in the barrel1 but ,i fear they are much below your proposed size4 ,,hal4--,they are good fish1 and of the average size of the large grayling in this stream--#af inches long1 and about #alb42 they will make a good variety boiled and placed in the middle of the fried fish4 ,and how many have you caught altogether8 ,,poiet4--,i have basketed 7to coin a word7 three trout and six grayling4 ,,phys4--,and ,i have taken seven grayling4 ,i caught trout likewise1 but1 not considering them in proper season1 ,i returned them to the river3 but ,ornither has been the most successful--he has killed ten grayling4 ,,hal4--,the trout is rarely good in this river--at least ,i never saw one that cut red1 and yet ,i have taken them in ,july1 when their external appearance was perfect and beautiful2 but they have1 to my taste1 always a flabby and soft character of flesh1 and at all seasons here are inferior for the table to grayling2 yet they often attain a considerable size4 ,there are few small fish in these streams1 and ,i suppose the grayling1 which are most numerous1 deprive the trout of their proper share of the food1 depending upon larv and flies4 ,,phys4--,as we are walking through these meadows1 pray give us some information as to the habits of the grayling1 and its localities in ,england3 ,i have been so much pleased with my sport1 that ,i shall become1 with ,st4 ,ambrose1 a patron of the fish4 ,,hal4--,the habits of the grayling1 like those of most other fish1 are very simple4 ,he is1 ,i believe1 to a certain extent1 gregarious--more so than the trout1 and less so than the perch1 and the usual varieties of the carp species known in ,england4 ,his form and appearance you have seen4 ,he is as yet scarcely in his highest or most perfect season1 which is in the end of ,november or beginning of ,december1 when his back is very dark1 almost black1 and his belly and lower fins are nearly gold-coloured2 but his brightness1 like that of most other fishes1 depends a good deal upon the nature of the water3 and on the continent ,i have seen fishes far more brilliantly coloured than in ,england--the lower part almost a bright orange1 and the back fin approaching to the colour of the damask rose1 or rather of an anemone4 ,the grayling spawns in ,april1 and sometimes as late as the beginning of ,may3 the female is generally then followed by two or three males4 ,she deposits her ova in the tales of sharp streams1 and the males1 rubbing against her1 shed upon the ova the melt or semi-fluid4 ,i do not know how long a time is required for the exclusion of the young ones2 but in the end of ,july1 or beginning of ,august1 they are of the size of sprats1 four or five inches long1 and already sport merrily at a fly4 ,though ,i have often taken grayling in bad season1 yet ,i have rarely observed upon them the same kind of leech1#g or louse1 which is so often found upon the trout2 from which ,i infer1 that they seldom hide themselves1 or become torpid in the mud4 ,the grayling hatched in ,may or ,june1 ,i conclude1 become the same year1 in ,september or ,october1 nine or ten inches long1 and weigh from five ounces to half a pound2 and the year after they are from twelve to fifteen inches long1 and weigh from three-quarters to a pound2 and these two sizes1 as you have seen1 are the fish that most usually rise at the fly4 ,the first size in this river is called shote1 which is a ,celtic word1 ,i believe1 applied likewise in the west of ,england to small trout4 ,of their growth after the second year ,i cannot speak2 this must depend much on their food and place of residence4 ,marsigli says1 they do not grow after the third year1 and at this age1 in ,austria1 they are sometimes a cubit long2 but though ,i have fished much in that country1 ,i never saw any so long4 ,if they are taken into new and comparatively still water recently made1 and where food is plenty1 they grow very fast3 under these circumstances1 ,i have seen them above #clbs4 ,in the ,test1 where1 as ,i mentioned before1 the grayling has been only recently introduced1 they have sometimes been caught between #c and #dlbs4--in this river ,i never took one above #blbs4 but ,i have heard of one being taken of #blbs4 ,the grayling is a rare fish in ,england1 and has never been found in ,scotland and ,ireland 7as ,poietes observed before27 and there are few rivers containing all the conditions necessary for their increase4 ,i know of no grayling river farther west than the ,avon1 in ,hampshire3 they are found in some of the tributary streams of this river which rise in ,wiltshire4 ,i know of no river containing them on the north coast west of the ,severn3 there are very few only in the upper part of this river1 and in the streams which form it in ,north ,wales4 ,there are a few in the ,wye and its tributary streams4 ,in the ,lug1 which flows through the next valley1 in ,herefordshire1 many grayling are found4 ,in the ,dee1 as ,i have said before1 they are found1 but are not common4 ,in ,derbyshire and ,staffordshire1 the ,dove1 the ,wye1 the ,trent1 and the ,blithe1 afford grayling2 in ,yorkshire1 on the north coast1 some of the tributary streams of the ,ribble1--and in the south1 the ,ure1 the ,wharfe1 the ,humber1 the ,derwent1 and the streams that form it1 particularly the ,rye4 ,there may be some other localities of this fish unknown to me2 but as ,i have fished much1 and enquired much respecting the places where it is found1 ,i think my information tolerably correct and complete4 ,,phys4--,is this fish to be fished for in spring8 ,,hal4--,he is to be fished for at all times1 for he is rarely so much out of season as to be a bad fish2 and when there are flies on the water1 he will generally take them3 but as the trout may be considered as a spring and summer fish1 so the grayling may be considered as a winter and autumnal fish4 ,,phys4--,of course the grayling is taken in spring with the same imitation of flies as the trout8 ,,hal4--,the same4 ,as far as flies are concerned1 these two species feed alike2 though ,i may say1 generally1 that the grayling prefers smaller flies1 and the varieties of the ephemer or phrygane1 of the smallest size1 form their favourite food4 ,yet grayling do not refuse large flies2 and in the ,avon and ,test1 ,may flies1 and even moths1 are greedily taken in the summer by large grayling4 ,flies1 likewise1 that do not inhabit the water1 but are blown from the land1 are good baits for grayling4 ,there is no method more killing1 for large grayling1 than applying a grasshopper to the point of a leaded hook1 the lead and shank of which are covered with green and yellow silk1 to imitate the body of the animal4 ,this mode of fishing is called sinking and drawing4 ,i have seen it practised in this river with as much success as maggot fishing2 and the fish taken were all of the largest size2 the method being most successful in deep holes1 where the bottom was not visible1 which are the natural haunts of such fish4 ,in the winter1 grayling rise for an hour or two1 in bright and tolerably warm weather2 and1 at this time1 the smallest imitations of black or pale gnats that can be made1 on the smallest sized hook1 succeed best in taking them4 ,in ,march1 the dark-bodied willow fly may be regarded as the earliest fly2 the imitation of which is made by a dark claret dubbing and a dun hackle1 or four small starling's wing feathers4 ,the blue dun comes on in the middle of the day in this month1 and is imitated by dun hackles for wings and legs1 and an olive dubbing for body4 ,in milder weather1 in morning and evening in this month1 and through ,april1 the green tail1 or grannom1 comes on in great quantities1 and is well imitated by a hen pheasant's wing feather1 a gray or red hackle for legs1 and a dark peacock's harle1 or dark hare's ear fur1 for the body4 ,the same kind of fly1 of a larger size1 with paler wings1 kills well in the evening1 through ,may or ,june4 ,the imitation of a water insect called the spider fly1 with a lead-coloured body and woodcock's wings1 is said to be a killing bait1 on this and other rivers1 in the end of ,april and beginning of ,may2 but ,i never happened to see it on the water4 ,the dark alder fly1 in ,may and ,june1 is taken greedily by the fish3 it is imitated by a dark-shaded pheasant's wing1 black hackle for legs1 and a peacock's harle1 ribbed with red silk1 for the body4 ,at this season1 and in ,july1 imitations of the black and red palmer worms1 which ,i believe are taken for black or brown1 or red beetles or cockchaffers1 kill well2 and1 in dark weather1 there are usually very light duns on the water4 ,in ,august1 imitations of the house fly and blue bottle1 and the red and black ant fly1 are taken1 and are particularly killing after floods in autumn1 when great quantities of the fly are destroyed and washed down the river4 ,in this month1 in cloudy days1 pale-blue duns often appear2 and they are still more common in ,september4 ,throughout the summer and autumn1 in fine calm evenings1 a large dun fly1 with a pale yellow body1 is greedily taken by grayling after sunset2 and the imitation of it is very killing4 ,in the end of ,october1 and through ,november1 there is no fly fishing but in the middle of the day1 when imitations of the smaller duns may be used with great success2 and ,i have often seen the fish sport most1 and fly fishing pursued with the greatest success1 in bright sunshine1 from twelve till half-past two o'clock1 after severe frosts in the morning2 and ,i once caught1 under these circumstances1 a very fine dish of fish on the #gth of ,november4 ,it was in the year #ahaf2 the summer and autumn had been peculiarly cold and wet1 and1 probably in consequence of this1 the flies were in smaller quantity at their usual season1 and there was a greater proportion later in the year4 ,grayling1 if you take your station by the side of a river1 will rise nearer to you than trout1 for they lie deeper1 and therefore are not so much scared by an object on the bank2 but they are more delicate in the choice of their flies than trout1 and will much oftener rise and refuse the fly4 ,trout1 from lying nearer the surface1 are generally taken before grayling1 where the water is slightly coloured1 or after a flood3 and in rain1 trout usually rise better than grayling1 though it sometimes happens1 when great quantities of flies come out in rain1 grayling1 as well as trout1 are taken with more certainty than at any other time2--the artificial fly1 in such cases1 looks like a wet fly1 and allures even the grayling1 which generally is more difficult to deceive than trout in the same river4 ,,phys4--,as ,i was looking into a ditch coming down the river1 which is connected with it1 ,i saw a very large eel at the bottom1 that appeared to me to be feeding on a small grayling3--are there many of this fish in the ,teme1 and do they breed here8 ,,hal4--,there are many of this fish in the river2 but to your question1 do they breed here8 ,i must answer in the negative4 ,the problem of their generation is the most abstruse1 and one of the most curious1 in natural history2 and though it occupied the attention of ,aristotle1 and has been taken up by most distinguished naturalists since his time1 it is still unsolved4 ,,phys4--,i thought there was no doubt on the subject4 ,lacepede1 whose book is the only scientific one on fishes ,i have read with attention1 asserts1 in the most unqualified way1 that they are viviparous4 ,,hal4--,i remember his assertion1 but ,i looked in vain for proofs4 ,,phys4--,i do not remember any facts brought forward on the subject2 but tell us what you think upon it4 ,,hal4--,i will tell you all ,i know1 which is not much4 ,this is certain1 that there are two migrations of eels1--one up and one down rivers1 one from and the other to the sea2 the first in spring and summer1 the second in autumn or early winter4 ,the first1 of very small eels1 which are sometimes not more than two or two and a half inches long2 the second1 of large eels1 which sometimes are three or four feet long1 and weigh from #aj to #ae1 or even #bjlbs4 ,there is great reason to believe1 that all eels found in fresh water are the results of the first migration3 they appear in millions in ,april and ,may1 and sometimes continue to rise as late even as ,july and the beginning of ,august4 ,i remember this was the case in ,ireland1 in #ahbc4 ,it had been a cold backward summer1 and when ,i was at ,ballyshannon1 about the end of ,july1 the mouth of the river1 which had been in flood all this month1 under the fall1 was blackened by millions of little eels1 about as long as the finger1 which were constantly urging their way up the moist rocks by the side of the fall4 ,thousands died1 but their bodies remaining moist1 served as the ladder for others to make their way2 and ,i saw some ascending even perpendicular stones1 making their road through wet moss1 or adhering to some eels1 that had died in the attempt4 ,such is the energy of these little animals1 that they continue to find their way1 in immense numbers1 to ,loch ,erne4 ,the same thing happens at the fall of the ,bann1 and ,loch ,neagh is thus peopled by them3 even the mighty ,fall of ,shaffhausen does not prevent them from making their way to the ,lake of ,constance1 where ,i have seen many very large eels4 ,,phys4--,you have shown1 that some eels come from the sea1 but ,i do not think the facts prove1 that all eels are derived from that source4 ,,hal4--,pardon me--,i have not concluded4 ,there are eels in the ,lake of ,neufchatel1 which communicates by a stream with the ,rhine2 but there are none in the ,leman ,lake1 because the ,rhone makes a subterraneous fall below ,geneva2 and though small eels can pass by moss or mount rocks1 they cannot penetrate limestone1 or move against a rapid descending current of water1 passing1 as it were1 through a pipe4 ,again3 no eels mount the ,danube from the ,black ,sea2 and there are none found in the great extent of lakes1 swamps1 and rivers communicating with the ,danube1--though some of these lakes and morasses are wonderfully fitted for them1 and though they are found abundantly in the same countries1 in lakes and rivers connected with the ocean and the ,mediterranean4 ,yet1 when brought into confined water in the ,danube1 they fatten and thrive there4 ,as to the instinct1 which leads young eels to seek fresh water1 it is difficult to reason2--probably they prefer warmth1 and1 swimming at the surface in the early summer1 find the lighter water warmer1 and likewise containing more insects1 and so pursue the courses of fresh water1 as the waters from the land1 at this season1 become warmer than those of the sea4 ,mr4 ,j4 ,couch 7,lin4 ,trans4 ,t4 xiv4 p4 #gj7 says1 that the little eels1 according to his observation1 are produced within reach of the tide1 and climb round falls to reach fresh water from the sea4 ,i have sometimes seen them1 in spring1 swimming in immense shoals in the ,atlantic1 in ,mount ,bay1 making their way to the mouths of small brooks and rivers4 ,when the cold water from the autumnal floods begins to swell the rivers1 this fish tries to return to the sea2 but numbers of the smaller ones hide themselves during the winter in the mud1 and many of them form1 as it were1 masses together4 ,various authors have recorded the migration of eels in a singular way1--such as ,dr4 ,plot1 who1 in his ,history of ,staffordshire1 says1 that they pass in the night1 across meadows1 from one pond to another3 and ,mr4 ,arderon 7in ,trans4 ,royal ,soc47 gives a distinct account of small eels rising up the flood-gates and posts of the water-works of the city of ,norwich2 and they made their way to the water above1 though the boards were smooth planed1 and five or six feet perpendicular4 ,he says1 when they first rose out of the water upon the dry board1 they rested a little--which seemed to be till their slime was thrown out1 and sufficiently glutinous--and then they rose up the perpendicular ascent with the same facility as if they had been moving on a plane surface4--7,trans4 ,abr4 vol4 ix4 p4 #caa47 ,there can1 ,i think1 be no doubt1 that they are assisted by their small scales1 which1 placed like those of serpents1 must facilitate their progressive motion3 these scales have been microscopically observed by ,lewenhoeck4--7,phil4 ,trans4 vol4 iv47 ,eels migrate from the salt water of different sizes1 but ,i believe never when they are above a foot long--and the great mass of them are only from two and a half to four inches4 ,they feed1 grow1 and fatten in fresh water4 ,in small rivers they are seldom very large2 but in large deep lakes they become as thick as a man's arm1 or even leg2 and all those of a considerable size attempt to return to the sea in ,october or ,november1 probably when they experience the cold of the first autumnal rains4 ,those that are not of the largest size1 as ,i said before1 pass the winter in the deepest parts of the mud of rivers and lakes1 and do not seem to eat much1 and remain1 ,i believe1 almost torpid4 ,their increase is not certainly known in any given time1 but must depend upon the quantity of their food3 but it is probable they do not become of the largest size1 from the smallest1 in one or even two seasons2 but this1 as well as many other particulars1 can only be ascertained by new observations and experiments4 ,blotch states1 that they grow slowly1 and mentions1 that some had been kept in the same pond for fifteen years4 ,as very large eels1 after having migrated1 never return to the river again1 they must 7for it cannot be supposed that they all die immediately in the sea7 remain in salt water2 and there is great probability1 that they are then confounded with the conger1 which is found of different colours and sizes--from the smallest to the largest--from a few ounces to one hundred pounds in weight4 ,the colour of the conger is generally paler than that of the eel2 but1 in the ,atlantic1 it is said1 that pale congers are found on one side of the ,wolf ,rock1 and dark ones on the other4 ,the conger has breathing tubes1 which are said not to be found in the other eel2 but to determine this would require a more minute examination than has yet been made4 ,both the conger and common eel have fringes along the air bladder1 which are probably the ovaria2 and ,sir ,e4 ,home thinks them hermaphrodite1 and that the seminal vessels are close to the kidneys4 ,i hope this great comparative anatomist will be able to confirm his views by new dissections1 and some chemical researches upon the nature of the fringes and the supposed melt4 ,if viviparous1 and the fringes contain the ova1 one mother must produce tens of thousands1 the ova being remarkably small2 but it appears more probable1 that they are oviparous1 and that they deposit their ova in parts of the sea near deep basins1 which remain warm in winter4 ,this might be ascertained by experiment1 particularly on the coasts of the ,mediterranean4 ,i cannot find1 that they haunt the ,arctic ocean1 which is probably of too low a temperature to suit their feelings or habits2 and the ,caspian and the ,black ,sea are probably without them1 from their not being found in the ,volga or ,danube2 these1 being shallow seas1 are perhaps too cold for them in winter4 ,from the time 7,april7 that small eels begin to migrate1 it is probable that they are generated in winter2 and the pregnant eels ought to be looked for in ,november1 ,december1 and ,january4 ,i opened one in ,december1 in which the fringes were abundant1 but ,i did not examine them under the microscope1 or chemically4 ,i trust this curious problem will not remain much longer unsolved4 ,,eighth ,,day4 ,,halieus--,,poietes--,,ornither--,,phys icus4 ,,scene--,,downton4 ,,poiet4--,,this is a beautiful day1 and1 ,i think1 for fishing1 as well as for the enjoyment of the scenery1 finer than yesterday4 ,the wind blows from the south1 and is balmy2 and though a few clouds are collecting1 they are not sufficiently dense to exclude the warmth of the sun2 and1 as lovers of the angle1 we ought prefer his warmth to his light4 ,,hal4--,i do not think1 as the day advances1 there will be any deficiency of light2 and ,i shall not be sorry for this1 as it will enable you to see the grounds of ,downton1 and the distances in the landscape1 to more advantage3 nor will light interfere much with our sport in this valley1 where1 as you see1 there is no want of shade4 ,,poiet4--,this spot is really very fine4 ,the fall of water1 the picturesque mill1 the abrupt cliff1 and the bank1 covered with noble oaks1 above the river1 compose a scene such as ,i have rarely beheld in this island4 ,,hal4--,we will wander a little longer through the walks4 ,there you will enter a subterraneous passage in the rock beyond the mossy grotto4 ,behold1 the castle1 or mansion-house1 clothed in beautiful vegetables1 of which the red creeper is most distinct1 rises above on the hill6 ,after we have finished our walk and our fishing1 ,i will1 if you please1 take you to the house1 and introduce you to its worthy master1 whom to know is to love1 to whom all good anglers should be grateful1 and who has a strong claim to a more extensive gratitude--that of his country and of society--by his scientific researches on vegetable nature1 which are not merely curious1 but useful1 and which have already led to great improvements in our fruits and plants1 and generally extended the popularity of horticulture4 ,,phys4--,we shall be much obliged to you for the favour--provided always1 you know it will not be an intrusion4 ,,hal4--,trust this to me4 ,and now1 as all circumstances are favourable1 begin your fishing4 ,i recommend to you that fine pool below the bridge2 there are always grayling to be caught there--and already ,i see some rising4 ,,phys4--,with what imitation of flies shall we fish8 ,,hal4--,as yesterday2 a yellow fly for your stretcher1 and two duns for the droppers4 ,there1 you have a good fish4 ,and now another--both grayling4 ,,phys4--,i shall try the rapid at the top of this long large pool2 ,i see several fish rising there4 ,,hal4--,do so4 ,you will catch fish there--trout1 but ,i fear no grayling4 ,,phys4--,why not8 ,,hal4--,in that part of the stream the water is too rough for grayling1 and they like to be nearer the deep water4 ,lower down1 in the same pool1 there are large grayling to be caught4 ,,phys4--,you are in the right2 the fish ,i have is a large trout--at least he is not much less than #blbs4 ,i have landed him2 shall ,i keep him8 ,,hal4--,as you please3 he is as good as he ever was1 or ever will be in this water4 ,,phys4--,there are now more yellow flies out than ,i have seen before this season4 ,they have appeared suddenly1 as if sprung from that large alder4 ,though you gave us in a former conversation some account of the flies used in fishing1 yet ,i hope you have not forgot your promise1 to favour us with some more details on this subject1 which1 both as connected with angling1 and with a curious part of natural history1 is very interesting4 ,,hal4--,i wish it was in my power to give you information from my own experience1 but1 ,i am sorry to say1 this has been very limited2 and though the ,english are peculiarly the fly fishing nation1 yet our philosophical anglers have not contributed much to this department of science1 and what has been done is principally by foreigners1 amongst whom ,swammerdam1 ,reaumur1 and above all ,de ,geer1 are pre-eminent4 ,to attempt to collect and apply the knowledge accumulated by these celebrated men1 would carry us far beyond the limits of a day's conversation2 and as a great proportion of the insects that fly1 walk1 or crawl1 are the food of fishes1 a dissertation1 or discourse on this subject1 would be almost a general view of natural history4 ,you know that frogs1 crawfish1 snails1 earthworms1 spiders1 larv of every kind1 millipedes1 beetles1 squill1 moths1 water flies1 and land flies1 are all eaten by trout2 and ,i once heard the late ,sir ,joseph ,banks say1 that he found a large toad stuck in the throat of a trout2 but as the skin of this animal is furnished with an exceedingly acrid secretion1 it probably had been disgorged after being swallowed by a fish exceedingly hungry4 ,but though ,i have found most of the insect tribes1 and many small fishes1 even of the most ravenous kind1 as pike1 in the stomachs of trout1 it never happened to me to see a toad there4 ,i might give you an account of the birth and life of frogs1 which1 with respect to their generation1 resemble fish1 and which1 when first excluded from the egg1 may be considered in the tadpole state as fish2 and you would not find their singular metamorphosis without interest4 ,or ,i could detail to you the true histories which naturalists have given of the habits of snails and earthworms1 and of the sexual relations of these apparently contemptible animals2--but this is too delicate a subject to dwell on4 ,even the renewing or change of shell in the crawfish1 when it falls in its soft state an easy prey to fish1 is a curious inquiry not only for the physiologist1 but likewise for the chemist4 ,on these points1 ,i must request you to refer to writers in ,natural ,history3 yet ,i shall perform my promise1 and say a few words on winged insects1 which1 in their origin and metamorphosis1 offer the most extraordinary known miracles perhaps of terrestrial natures4 ,you must be acquainted with the origin of our common house flies8 ,,phys4--,we know1 that they spring from maggots1 and that both the common and blue bottle fly deposit their ova in putrid animal matter1 were the eggs are hatched and produce maggots1 that1 after feeding upon the decomposing animal material1 gradually change1 gain a hard or horny coat1 seem as if entombed1 and wait in a kind of apparent death or slumber1 till they are mature for a new birth1 when they burst their coatings and appear in the character of novel beings--fitted to inhabit another element4 ,,hal4--,the history of the birth and metamorphosis of all other winged insects is very similar1 but with peculiarities dependent upon their organs1 wants1 and habits4 ,you know the curious details with which we have been furnished by natural historians of bees and ants1 which live in a kind of society4 ,the ant flies1 of which1 as ,i mentioned to you1 imitations are sometimes used by fishermen1 were originally maggots1 and became furnished with wings--not1 however1 passing through the aurelia state for this last transformation4 ,,poiet4--,i beg your pardon1 but1 having lately read an account of these animals in the very interesting book1 called 8,an ,introduction to ,entomology10 ,i think ,i can correct you in one particular2 which is1 that the maggot of the ant does assume the form of a chrysalis or pupa1 before it becomes a winged animal4 ,,hal4--,it is true1 that the immediate transition of the maggot is into a pupa1 then into an ant1 which is furnished with a kind of case1 from which the wings emerge for their perfect transformation into the fly or imago state4 ,the males die soon after the sexual intercourse2 the females1 when impregnated1 lose their wings1 and either voluntarily or by force enter into society with neuter or working ants1 for the purpose of raising a new generation4 ,,poiet4--,you are perfectly right2 and though it would be irrelevant to our present object1 ,i could almost wish1 for the sake of amusing our friends1 that you would detail to us some other parts of the marvellous history of these wonderful animals1 which1 if not so well authenticated1 might be supposed a philosophical romance4 ,such as the neuter or working ants feeding each other and the offspring2 the manner in which they make1 defend1 and repair their dwellings1 provide their food1 watch and attend to the female1 and take care of her eggs2 their extraordinary mode of acquiring and defending the aphides and cocci1 which bear to them the same relation that cattle do to man1 which are fed by them with so much care1 and the milk of which forms so important a part of their food2 the predatory excursions of a particular species to carry off pupa1 which they bring up as slaves4 ,,hal4--,to enter into any of the details of the history of insects in society1 would carry us into an interminable1 though interesting subject1 that would soon lose all relation to fly fishing2 and ,i fear what ,i have to say1 even on the winged insects connected with this amusement1 will occupy too much of your time1 for we have not more than an hour to devote to this object4 ,,poiet4--,tell us what you please2 we are attentive4 ,illustration3 ,,phrygane1 ,with their ,imitations4 ,frederick ,sc4 ,illustration3 ,,ephemer ,with their ,imitations or ,hooks ,frederick ,sc4 ,illustration3 ,,ephemer1 ,with their ,imitations or ,hooks ,frederick ,sc4 ,,hal4--,the various individuals of the gryllus1 or grasshopper tribe1 spring from larv1 that do not differ much from the perfect insect1 except in possessing no wings4 ,the eggs are deposited in our meadows1 and many species of this animal are gregarious1 and their immigrations in swarms are well known4 ,the butterfly and moths1 as you know1 lay eggs which produce caterpillars1 and these caterpillars1 after feeding upon vegetable food1 spin themselves or frame houses or beds1 cocoons1 in which they are transformed into aurelias1 and from which they burst forth as perfect winged insects4 ,the libellula1 or dragon fly1 the most voracious of the winged insect tribe1 deposits her eggs in such a manner1 that the larv fall into the water1 and1 after destroying and feeding upon almost all the aquatic insects found in this element1 and changing their skins at various times1 they emerge in their winged form the tyrants of the insect generations in the air4 ,the gnats and tipul have a similar existence4 ,the gnat1 the female of which only is said by ,de ,geer to bite man1 or suck human blood1 in ,sweden1 lays her egg in a kind of little boat or cocoon of her own spinning4 ,these eggs are hatched on the surface of the water1 and produce the larv1 which undergo another change into peculiar nymph1 that still retain the power of swimming and moving1 from which the perfect insect is produced during the summer heat4 ,the flies1 which ,i mentioned to you in a former conversation1 under the name of the grannom1 or green tail1 7see fig4 #b17 are of the class phrygane1 which includes all those water flies that have long antenn1 and wings something like those of moths1 but usually veined and without powder4 ,the yellow flies1 which you saw a short time since sporting on the banks of the river1 are of this kind4 ,the phrygane 7see fig4 #a1 #b1 #c1 and #d17 have four wings1 which1 when closed1 lie flat on their backs1 the two upper ones being folded over the lower ones3 the flies called by anglers the willow fly1 the alder fly1 7see fig4 #d17 and the dun cut1 are of this kind4 ,the phrygane lay their eggs on the leaves of willows1 or other trees1 that overhang the water2 they are fastened by a sort of gluten to the surface of the leaf3 when hatched1 they produce small hexapode larv1 which fall into the water1 and by a curious economy of nature collect round themselves1 some1 parts of plants1 or small sticks2 some1 gravel2 and some1 even shell fish4 ,they spin themselves a sort of case of silk from their bodies1 and by a gluten1 that exudes from this case1 cement their materials together4 ,they feed upon aquatic plants1 and sometimes upon insects1 protruding only their head and legs from the case4 ,when about to undergo transmutation1 they quit their cases1 rise to the surface1 and wait for this process of nature in the air2 but some species fix themselves on plants or stones3 they burst the skin of the larv1 and appear perfect animals1 male and female1 fitted for the office of reproduction4 ,in the early spring1 the species which are called green tails1 from the colour of the bags of eggs in the female1 appear in the warm gleams of sunshine that happen in cloudy days1 and they then cover the face of the water1 and are greedily seized on by the fish4 ,as the season advances they appear principally in the morning and evening4 ,in the heat of summer the phrygane are almost nocturnal flies1 and seem to have the habits of moths3 at this season1 now1 ,i should say1 the few flies that appear are generally seen in the day-time4 ,the ephemer1 another class of flies peculiarly interesting to the fisherman1 differ from the phrygane in carrying their wings perpendicularly on their backs1 and in having long filaments or hairs in their tails4 ,the ,march brown1 7see fig4 #h17 the various shades of duns1 7see fig4 #e1 #f1 and #g17 which ,i described to you on a former occasion2 the green 7see fig4 #i and #aj17 and white ,may fly1 the red spinner1 7see fig4 #aa17 are all of the class ephemer4 ,these flies are produced from larv which inhabit the water1 which can both crawl and swim1 and which generally live in holes they make in the bottom4 ,they change their coats several times before they become nymph4 ,they quit their skin on the surface of the water1 but even after they are flies1 they have another transformation to undergo before they are perfect animals fitted for generation4 ,they make use of their wings only to fly to some dry bank1 or trunk of a tree1 where they gradually disencumber themselves of the whole of the outward habiliment they brought from the water1 including their wings4 ,they become lighter1 more beautiful in colour1 and then begin their sports in the sunshine--appearing like what might be imagined of spirits freed from the weight of their terrestrial covering4 ,this last transmutation has been observed and fully described by some celebrated naturalists1 in the case of the ,may flies1 and one or two other species1 and it probably will be found a general circumstance attached to the class3 ,i have often observed what appeared to me to be the cast-off skins of the small species of ephemer on the banks of rivers and floating in the water4 ,the green ephemera1 or ,may fly1 lays her eggs sitting on the water1 which instantly sink to the bottom3 and most of the duns1 or small slender-winged flies1 do the same4 ,the gray or glossy-winged ,may fly1 commonly called the gray drake1 performs regular motions in the air above the water1 rising and falling1 and sitting1 as it were1 for a moment on the surface1 and rising again1 at which time she is said to deposit her eggs4 ,to attempt to describe all the variety of ephemer1 that sport on the surface of the water at different times of the day1 throughout the year1 would be quite an endless labour4 ,some of them appear to live only a few hours1 and none of them1 ,i believe1 have their existence protracted to more than a few days4 ,in spring and autumn a new variety of these flies sometimes appears every day1 or even in different parts of the same day4 ,of the beetle1 or colyoptera genus1 there are many varieties fed on by fishes4 ,these insects1 which are distinguished1 as you know1 by four wings1 two husky-like shells above1 and two slender and finer ones below1 are bred from eggs1 which they deposit in the ground1 or in the excrement of animals1 and which1 producing larv in the usual way1 are converted into beetles1 and these larv themselves are good bait for fish4 ,the brown beetle1 or cockchaffer1 the fern fly1 and the gray beetle1 which are abundant in the meadows in the summer1 are often blown into the water1 and are the most common insects of this kind eaten by fishes4 ,whether the ditisci and hydrophili1 the water beetles1 are ever eaten by trout1 ,i know not1 but it is most probable4 ,these singular animals are most commonly found in stagnant waters2 fitted for flying1 swimming1 diving1 and walking1 they are omnivorous1 and usually fly from pool to pool in the evening4 ,they deposit their eggs in the water1 where their larv live1 but which1 to undergo transmutation into the beetle1 migrate to the land4 ,but there is hardly any insect that flies1 including the wasp1 the hornet1 the bee1 and the butterfly1 that does not become at some time the prey of fishes4 ,i have not1 however1 the knowledge1 or if ,i had1 have not the time1 to go through the lists of these interesting little animals2 but of the family of one of them ,i must speak--the ichneumons1 that deposit their eggs in caterpillars1 or the larv of other flies1 and which feed on the unfortunate animal in which they are hatched1 and come out of its interior when dead1 as if it had been their parent4 ,to enter into the philosophy of this subject1 and to study the organs and faculties of these various insect tribes1 in their functions of respiration1 nutrition1 and reproduction1 would be sufficient for the labour of a life4 ,to know what has already been done would demand the close and studious application of a comprehensive mind2 and to complete this branch of science in all its parts is probably almost above human powers3 but much might be done if enlightened persons would follow the example of ,de ,geer1 ,reaumur1 and ,huber1 and study minutely the habits of particular tribes2 and it is probable1 that physiology might be much advanced by minutely investigating the simplest forms of living beings2 and that particularly with respect to the functions of generation a minute study of the modifications of which the forms of animals seems susceptible1 particularly in the hymenopterous1 or bee tribe1 might lead to very important results4 ,,poiet4--,even in a moral point of view1 ,i think the analogies derived from the transformation of insects admit of some beautiful applications1 that have not been neglected by pious entomologists4 ,the three states--of the caterpillar1 pupa1 or aurelia1 and butterfly--have1 since the time of the ,greek poets1 been applied to typify the human being--its terrestrial form1 apparent death1 and ultimate celestial destination2 and it seems more extraordinary that a sordid and crawling worm should become a beautiful and active fly--that an inhabitant of the dark and ftid dunghill should in an instant entirely change its form1 rise into the blue air1 and enjoy the sunbeams1--than that a being1 whose pursuits here have been after an undying name1 and whose purest happiness has been derived from the acquisition of intellectual power and finite knowledge1 should rise hereafter into a state of being1 where immortality is no longer a name1 and ascend to the source of ,unbounded ,power and ,infinite ,wisdom4 ,,phys4--,i have been listening1 ,halieus1 to your account of water-flies with attention1 and ,i only regret1 that your details were not more copious2 let me now call your attention to that ,michaelmas daisy4 ,a few minutes ago1 before the sun sunk behind the hill1 its flowers were covered with varieties of bees1 and some wasps1 all busy in feeding on its sweets4 ,i never saw a more animated scene of insect enjoyment4 ,the bees were most of them humble bees1 but many of them some new varieties to me1 and the wasps appeared different from any ,i have seen before4 ,,hal4--,i believe this is one of the last autumnal flowers that insects of this kind haunt4 ,in sunny days it is their constant point of resort1 and it would afford a good opportunity to the entomologist to make a collection of ,british bees4 ,,poiet4--,i neither hear the hum of the bee1 nor can ,i see any on its flowers4 ,they are now deserted4 ,,phys4--,since the sun has disappeared1 the cool of the evening has1 ,i suppose1 driven the little winged plunderers to their homes2 but see1 there are two or three humble bees which seem languid with the cold1 and yet they have their tongues still in the fountain of honey4 ,i believe one of them is actually dead1 yet his mouth is still attached to the flower4 ,he has fallen asleep1 and probably died whilst making his last meal of ambrosia4 ,,orn4--,what an enviable destiny1 quitting life in the moment of enjoyment1 following an instinct1 the gratification of which has been always pleasurable6 so beneficent are all the laws of ,divine ,wisdom4 ,,phys4--,like ,ornither1 ,i consider the destiny of this insect as desirable1 and ,i cannot help regarding the end of human life as most happy1 when terminated under the impulse of some strong energetic feeling1 similar in its nature to an instinct4 ,i should not wish to die like ,attila in a moment of gross sensual enjoyment3 but the death of ,epaminondas or ,nelson in the arms of victory1 their whole attention absorbed in the love of glory and of their country1 ,i think really enviable4 ,,poiet4--,i consider the death of the martyr or the saint as far more enviable2 for in this case1 what may be considered as a divine instinct of our nature1 is called into exertion1 and pain is subdued1 or destroyed1 by a secure faith in the power and mercy of the ,divinity4 ,in such cases man rises above mortality1 and shows his true intellectual superiority4 ,by intellectual superiority ,i mean that of his spiritual nature1 for ,i do not consider the results of reason as capable of being compared with those of faith4 ,reason is often a dead weight in life1 destroying feeling1 and substituting1 for principle1 calculation and caution2 and1 in the hour of death1 it often produces fear or despondency1 and is rather a bitter draught than nectar or ambrosia in the last meal of life4 ,,hal4--,i agree with ,poietes4 ,the higher and more intense the feeling1 under which death takes place1 the happier it may be esteemed2 and ,i think even ,physicus will be of our opinion1 when ,i recollect the conclusion of a conversation in ,scotland4 ,the immortal being never can quit life with so much pleasure as with the feeling of immortality secure1 and the vision of celestial glory filling the mind1 affected by no other passion than the pure and intense love of ,god4 ,,ninth ,,day4 ,,halieus--,,poietes--,,ornither--,,phys icus4 ,,fishing ,,for ,,hucho4 ,scene--,the ,fall of the ,traun1 ,upper ,austria4 ,time--,july4 ,,poiet4--,,this is a glorious scene6 ,and the fall of this great and clear river1 with its accompaniments of wood1 rock1 and snow-clad mountain1 would alone furnish matter for discussion and conversation for many days4 ,this place is quite the paradise of a poetical angler2 the only danger is that of satiety with regard to sport2 for these great grayling and trout are so little used to the artificial fly1 that they take almost any thing moving on the top of the water4 ,you see ,i have put on a salmon fly1 and still they rise at it1 though they never can have seen any thing like it before--and it is1 in fact1 not like any thing in nature4 ,,hal4--,you are right1 they never have seen any thing like it before2 but1 in its motion1 it is like a large fly1 and this is the season for large flies4 ,the stone fly and the ,may fly1 you see1 occasionally drop upon the water1 and the colour of your large fly is not unlike that of the stone fly2 but if1 instead of being here in the beginning of ,july1 you had visited this spot1 as ,i once did1 in the beginning of ,june1 you would have found more difficulty in catching grayling here1 though not so much as in our ,english rivers--in the ,test1 the ,derwent1 or the ,dove4 ,,poiet4--,how could this be8 ,,hal4--,at this season the large flies had not yet appeared2 the small blue dun was on the water1 and ,i was obliged to use a fly the same as that which suits our spring and late autumnal fishing4 ,the fish refused all large flies1 but took greedily small ones2 and1 as usually happens when small flies are used1 more fish escaped after being hooked than were taken2 and these ,i found1 the next day1 were become as sagacious as our ,dove or ,test fish1 and refused the artificial fly1 though they greedily took the natural fly4 ,,phys4--,these fish1 then1 have the same habits as our ,english salmons and trouts8 ,,hal4--,the principle to which ,i have referred in two former conversations must be general1 though it has seemed to me1 that they lost this memory sooner than the fish of our ,english rivers1 where fly fishing is common4 ,this1 however1 may be fancy1 yet ,i have referred it to a kind of hereditary disposition1 which has been formed and transmitted from their progenitors4 ,,phys4--,however strange it may appear1 ,i can believe this4 ,when the early voyagers discovered new islands1 the birds upon them were quite tame1 and easily killed by sticks and stones1 being fearless of man2 but they soon learned to know their enemy1 and this newly acquired sagacity was possessed by their offspring1 who had never seen a man4 ,wild and domesticated ducks are1 in fact1 from the same original type3 it is only necessary to compare them1 when hatched together under a hen1 to be convinced of the principle of the hereditary transmission of habits1--the wild young ones instantly fly from man1 the tame ones are indifferent to his presence4 ,,poiet4--,no one can be less disposed than ,i am to limit the powers of living nature1 or to doubt the capabilities of organized structures2 but it does appear to me quite a dream1 to suppose that a fish1 pricked by the hook of the artificial fly1 should transmit a dread of it to its offspring1 though he does not even long retain the memory of it himself4 ,,hal4--,there are instances quite as extraordinary--but ,i will not dwell upon them1 as ,i am not quite sure of the fact which we are discussing2 ,i have made a guess only1 and we must observe more minutely to establish it2 it may be even as you suppose--a mere dream4 ,,poiet4--,i shall go and look at the fall3 ,i am really satiated with sport2 this is the twentieth fish ,i have taken in an hour1 and it is a grayling of at least fifteen inches long2 and there is a trout of eighteen1 and several salmon trout1 which look as if they had run from the sea4 ,,hal4--,these salmon trout have run from a sea1 but not from a salt sea2 they are fish of the ,traun ,see1 as it is called by the ,germans1 or ,traun ,lake1 which is emptied by this river4 ,,phys4--,tell us why they are so different from the river trout1 or why there should be two species or varieties in the same water4 ,,hal4--,your question is a difficult one1 and it has already been referred to in a former conversation2 but ,i shall repeat what ,i stated before1--that qualities occasioned by food1 peculiarities of water1 c4 are transmitted to the offspring1 and produce varieties which retain their characters as long as they are exposed to the same circumstances1 and only slowly lose them4 ,plenty of good food gives a silvery colour and round form to fish1 and the offspring retain these characters4 ,feeding much on larv and on shell-fish thickens the stomach1 and gives a brighter yellow to the belly and fins1 which become hereditary characters4 ,even these smallest salmon trout have green backs1 only black spots1 and silvery bellies2 from which it is evident1 that they are the offspring of lake trout1 or lachs forelle1 as it is called by the ,germans2 whilst the river trout1 even when #d or #elbs41 as we see in one of these fish1 though in excellent season1 have red spots4--,but why that exclamation8 ,,poiet4--,what an immense fish6 ,there he is6 ,,hal4--,i see nothing4 ,,poet4--,at the edge of the pool1 below the fall1 ,i saw a fish1 at least two or three feet long1 rising with great violence in the water1 as if in the pursuit of small fish2 and at the same time ,i saw two or three minnows or bleaks jump out of the water4 ,what fish is it8--a trout8 ,it appeared to me too long and too slender for a trout1 and had more the character of a pike2--yet it followed1 and did not1 like a pike1 make a single dart4 ,,hal4--,i see him3 it is neither a pike nor a trout1 but a fish which ,i have been some time hoping and expecting to see here1 below the fall--a salmo hucho1 or huchen4 ,i am delighted1 that you have an opportunity of seeing this curious fish1 and of observing his habits4 ,i hope we shall catch him4 ,,poiet4--,catch him6 we have no tackle strong enough4 ,,hal4--,i am surprised to hear a salmon fisher talk so3 yet he is too large to take a fly1 and must be trolled for4 ,we must spin a bleak for him1 or small fish1 as we do for the trout of the ,thames or the salmon of the ,tay4 ,ornither1 you understand the arrangement of this kind of tackle--look out in my book the strongest set of spinning hooks you can find1 and supply them with a bleak2 and whilst ,i am changing the reel1 ,i will give you all the information 7which1 ,i am sorry to say1 is not much7 that ,i have been able to collect respecting this fish from my own observation or the experience of others4 ,the hucho is the most predatory fish of the salmo genus1 and is made like an ill-fed trout1 but longer and thicker4 ,he has larger teeth1 more spines in the pectoral fin1 a thicker skin1 a silvery belly1 and dark spots only on the back and sides--,i have never seen any on the fins4 ,the ratio of his length to his girth is as #h to #ah1 or1 in well fed fish1 as #i to #bj2 and a fish1 #ah inches long by #h in girth1 weighed #af1bae grains4 ,another1 #b feet long1 #aa inches in girth1 and #c inches thick1 weighed #dlbs4 #boz4 ,another1 #bf inches long1 weighed #elbs4 #eoz4 ,of the spines in the fins1 the anal has #i1 the caudal #bj1 the ventral #i1 the dorsal #ab1 the pectoral #ag3 having numbered the spines in many1 ,i give this as correct4 ,the fleshy fin belonging to the genus is1 ,i think1 larger in this species than in any ,i have seen4 ,bloch1 in his work on fishes1 states that there are black spots on all the fins1 with the exception of the anal1 as a character of this fish3 and ,professor ,wagner informs me he has seen huchos with this peculiarity2 but1 as ,i said before1 ,i never saw any fish with spotted fins--yet ,i have examined those of the ,danube1 ,save1 ,drave1 ,mur1 and ,izar3 perhaps this is peculiar to some stream in ,bavaria--yet the huchos in the collection at ,munich have it not4 ,the hucho is found in most rivers tributary to the ,danube--in the ,save and ,laybach rivers always2 yet the general opinion is1 that they run from the ,danube twice a year1 in spring and autumn4 ,i can answer for their migration in spring1 having caught several in ,april1 in streams connected with the ,save and ,laybach rivers1 which had evidently come from the still dead water into the clear running streams1 for they had the winter leech1 or louse of the trout upon them3 and ,i have seen them of all sizes1 in ,april1 in the market at ,laybach1 from six inches to two feet long2 but they are found much larger1 and reach #cj1 or even #dj1 pounds4 ,it is the opinion of some naturalists1 that it is only a fresh water fish2 yet this ,i doubt1 because it is never found beyond certain falls--as in the ,traun1 the ,drave1 and the ,save2 and1 there can be no doubt1 comes into these rivers from the ,danube2 and probably1 in its larger state1 is a fish of the ,black ,sea4 ,yet it can winter in fresh water2 and does not seem1 like the salmon1 obliged to haunt the sea1 but falls back into the warmer waters of the great rivers1 from which it migrates in spring1 to seek a cooler temperature and to breed4 ,the fishermen at ,gratz say they spawn in the ,mur1 between ,march and ,may4 ,in those ,i have caught at ,laybach1 which1 however1 were small ones1 the ova were not sufficiently developed to admit of their spawning that spring4 ,marsigli says1 that they spawn in the ,danube in ,june4 ,you have seen how violently they pursue their prey3 ,i have never taken one without fish in his stomach2 yet1 when small1 they will take a fly4 ,in the ,kleingraben1 which is a feeder to the ,laybach river1 and where they are found of all sizes--from #bjlbs4 downwards--the little ones take a fly1 but the large ones are too ravenous to care about so insignificant a morsel1 and prey like the largest trout1 often hunting in company1 and chasing the small fish into the narrow and shallow streams1 and then devouring them4--,but ,i see your tackle is ready4 ,as a more experienced angler in this kind of fishing1 you will allow me to try my fortune with this fish4 ,i still see him feeding2 but ,i must keep out of sight1 for he has all the timidity peculiar to the salmo genus1 and1 if he catch sight of me1 will certainly not run at the bait4 ,,orn4--,you spin the bleak for him1 ,i see1 as for a great trout4 ,o6 there6 he has run at it--and you have missed him4 ,what a fish6 ,you surely were too quick1 for he sprung out of the water at the bleak4 ,,hal4--,i was not too quick2 but he rose just as the bleak was on the surface1 and saw me4 ,,poiet4--,i think ,i see him moving in another part of the pool4 ,,hal4--,you are right2 he has run again at the bleak1 but only as it shone on the surface4 ,he has taken it4 ,,orn4--,he fights well1 and runs towards the side where the rock is4 ,,hal4--,take the net and frighten him from that place1 which is the only one where there is danger of loosing him4 ,he is clear now1 and begins to tire1 and in a few minutes more he will be exhausted4--,now land him4 ,,poiet4--,a noble fish6 ,but how like a trout--exactly like a sea trout in whiteness1 and ,i think in spots4 ,,hal4--,he is much narrower1 or less broad1 as you would immediately discover1 if you had a sea trout here4 ,but now we must try another pool1 or the tail of this2 that fish was not alone1 and at the moment he took the bait1 ,i think ,i saw the water move from the stir of another4 ,take your rod and fit your own tackle1 ,ornither2 half the glory of catching this fish is yours1 as you prepared the hooks4 ,i see you are in earnest2 the blood mounts in your face4 ,oh6 oh6 ,ornither6 you have pulled with too much violence1 and broken your tackle4 ,alas6 alas6 the fish you hooked was the consort of mine3 he will not take again4 ,,orn4--,the gut was bad1 for ,i do not think ,i struck too violently4 ,what a loss6 ,how hard1 to let the first fish of the kind ,i ever angled for escape me6 ,,hal4--,there are probably more3 try again4 ,,orn4--,behold6 the loss was more owing to the imperfection of the tackle than to my ardour2 for the two end hooks only are gone1 and you may see the gut worn4 ,,hal4--,the thing is done1 and is not worth comment4 ,if you can1 let the next fish that rises hook himself4 ,when we are ardent1 we are bad judges of the effort we make2 and an angler1 who could be cool with a new species of salmo1 ,i should not envy4 ,now all is right again3 try that pool4 ,there is a fish--ay6 and another1 that runs at your bait2 but they are small ones1 not much more than twice as large as the bleak2 yet they show their spirit1 and though they cannot swallow it1 they have torn it4 ,put on another bleak4 ,there6 you have another run4 ,,orn4--,ay1 it is a small fish1 not much more than a foot long2 yet he fights well4 ,,hal4--,you have him1 and ,i will land him4 ,i do not think such a fish a bad initiation into this kind of sport4 ,he does not agitate so much as a larger one1 and yet gratifies curiosity4 ,there1 we have him4 ,a very beautiful fish2 yet he has the leech1 or louse1 though his belly is quite white4 ,,orn4--,this fish is so like a trout1 that1 had ,i caught him when alone1 ,i should hardly have remarked his peculiarities2 and ,i am not convinced1 that it is not a variety of the common trout1 altered1 in many generations1 by the predatory habits of his ancestors4 ,,hal4--,how far the principle of change of character and transmission of such character to the offspring will apply1 ,i shall not attempt to determine1 and whether all the varieties of the salmo with teeth in their mouth may not have been produced from one original2 yet this fish is now as distinct from the trout1 as the char or the umbla is2 and in ,europe1 it exists only below great falls in streams connected with the ,danube1 and is never found in rivers of the same districts connected with the ,rhine1 ,elbe1 or which empty themselves into the ,mediterranean2 though trout are common in all these streams1 and salmon and sea trout in those connected with the ocean4 ,according to the descriptions of ,pallas1 it occurs in the rivers of ,siberia1 and probably exists in those that run into the ,caspian2 and it is remarkable1 that it is not found where the eel is usual--at least this applies to all the tributary streams of the ,danube1 and1 it is said1 to the rivers of ,siberia4 ,wherever ,i have seen it1 there have been always coarse fish--as chub1 white fish1 bleak1 c41 and rivers containing such fish are its natural haunts1 for it requires abundance of food1 and serves to convert these indifferent poor fish into a better kind of nourishment for man4 ,we will now examine the interior of these fish4 ,you see the stomach is larger than that of a trout1 and the stomachs of both are full of small fish4 ,in the larger one there is a chub1 a grayling1 a bleak1 and two or three small carp4 ,the skin you see is thick2 the scales are smaller than those of a trout2 it has no teeth on the palate1 and the pectoral fin has four spines more1 which1 ,i think1 enables it to turn with more rapidity4 ,you will find at dinner1 that1 fried or roasted1 he is a good fish4 ,his flesh is white1 but not devoid of curd2 and though rather softer than that of a trout1 ,i have never observed in it that muddiness1 or peculiar flavour1 which sometimes occurs in trout1 even when in perfect season4 ,i shall say a few words more on the habits of this fish4 ,the hucho1 as you have seen1 preys with great violence1 and pursues his object as a foxhound or a greyhound does4 ,i have seen them in repose3 they lie like pikes1 perfectly still1 and ,i have watched one for many minutes1 that never moved at all4 ,in this respect their habits resemble those of most carnivorous and predatory animals4 ,it is probably in consequence of these habits1 that they are so much infested by lice1 or leeches1 which ,i have seen so numerous in spring as almost to fill their gills1 and interfere with their respiration1 in which case they seek the most rapid and turbulent streams to free themselves from these enemies4 ,they are very shy1 and after being hooked avoid the baited line4 ,i once saw a hucho1 for which ,i was fishing1 follow the small fish1 and then the lead of the tackle2 it seemed as if this had fixed his attention1 and he never offered at the bait afterwards4 ,i think a hucho1 that has been pricked by the hook1 becomes particularly cautious1 and possesses1 in this respect1 the same character as the salmon4 ,in summer1 when they are found in the roughest and most violent currents1 their fins 7particularly the caudal fin7 often appear worn and broken2 at this season they are usually in constant motion against the stream1 and are stopped by no cataract or dam1 unless it be many feet in height1 and quite inaccessible4 ,in the middle of ,september ,i have caught huchos perfectly clean in rapid cool streams1 tributary to the ,laybach and the ,sava rivers2 and1 from the small developement of their generative system at this time1 ,i have no doubt that they spawn in spring4 ,on the #acth of ,september1 #ahbh1 ,i caught1 by spinning the dead small fish1 three huchos1 that had not a single leech upon their bodies1 and they were the first fish of the kind ,i ever saw free from these parasites4 ,,orn4--,i am so much pleased with my good fortune in catching this fish1 that ,i shall try all day to-morrow with the bait1 for more of the same kind4 ,,hal4--,you may do so2 but many of these fish cannot be caught2 they migrate generally when the water is foul1 and1 except in the spring and autumn1 do not so readily run at the bait4 ,i was once nearly a month seeking for one in rivers in which they are found1 between the end of ,june and that of ,july1 without being able to succeed in even seeing one alive2 and as far as my information goes1 the two places where there is most probability of taking them1 are at ,laybach and ,ratisbon1 in the tributary streams to the ,sava1 and in the ,danube2 and the best time1 in the first of these situations1 is in ,march and ,april1 and in the second1 in ,may4 ,i am told1 likewise1 that the ,izar1 which runs by ,munich1 is a stream where they may be caught1 when the water is clear3 but ,i have never fished in this stream--it having been foul1 either from rain1 or the melting of the snows1 whenever ,i have been at ,munich2 but ,i have seen in the fish-market at ,munich very large huchos4 ,late in the autumn1 or in early spring1 this river must be an interesting one to fish in1 as the schill1 or perca lucio perca1 and three other species of perca are found in it--the zingel1 the apron1 and the perca schratz--all fish of prey1 and excellent food4 ,i have eaten them1 but never taken them2 they are rare in ,european rivers1 though not1 like the hucho1 peculiar to the tributary streams of the ,danube4 ,the schill is found likewise in the ,sprey and in the ,hungarian lakes1 and1 according to ,bloch1 the zingel in the ,rhone4 ,,poiet4--,i should like extremely to fish in the ,izar3 it is1 ,i think1 a new kind of pleasure to take a new kind of fish1 even though it is not unknown to ,natural ,historians4 ,but the most exquisite kind of angling1 in my opinion1 would be that of angling in a river never fished in by ,europeans before2 and ,i can scarcely imagine sport of a higher kind than that which involves a triple source of pleasure--catching a fish1 procuring good food for the table1 and making a discovery in ,natural ,history1 at the same time4 ,sir ,joseph ,banks1 who was always a great amateur of angling1 had often this kind of gratification4 ,and to ,captain ,franklin and ,dr4 ,richardson1 in their expedition to the ,arctic ,ocean1 when they were almost starving1 what a delightful circumstance it must have been1 to have taken with a fly those large grayling1 which they mention1 of a new species1 equally beautiful in their appearance1 and good for the table6 ,,hal4--,when a boy1 ,i have felt an interest in sea fishing1 for this reason--that there was a variety of fish2 but the want of skill in the amusement--sinking a bait with a lead and pulling up a fish by main force1 soon made me tired of it4 ,since ,i have been a fly-fisher1 ,i have rarely fished in the sea1 and then only with a reel and fine tackle from the rocks1 which is at least as interesting an amusement as that of the ,cockney fishermen1 who fish for roach and dace in the ,thames1 which ,i have tried twice in my life1 but shall never try again4 ,,phys4--,you are severe on ,cockney fishermen1 and1 ,i suppose1 would apply to them only1 the observation of ,dr4 ,johnson1 which on a former occasion you would not allow to be just3 8,angling is an amusement with a stick and a string2 a worm at one end1 and a fool at the other40 ,and to yourself you would apply it with this change3 8a fly at one end1 and a philosopher at the other40 ,yet the pleasure of the ,cockney ,angler appears to me of much the same kind1 and perhaps more continuous than yours2 and he has the happiness of constant occupation and perpetual pursuit in as high a degree as you have2 and if we were to look at the real foundations of your pleasure1 we should find them1 like most of the foundations of human happiness--vanity or folly4 ,i shall never forget the impression made upon me some years ago1 when ,i was standing on the pier at ,donegal1 watching the flowing of the tide3 ,i saw a lame boy of fourteen or fifteen years old1 very slightly clad1 that some persons were attempting to stop in his progress along the pier2 but he resisted them with his crutches1 and1 halting along1 threw himself from an elevation of five or six feet1 with his crutches1 and a little parcel of wooden boats1 that he carried under his arm1 on the sand of the beach4 ,he had to scramble or halt at least #ajj yards1 over hard rocks1 before he reached the water1 and he several times fell down and cut his naked limbs on the bare stones4 ,being in the water1 he seemed in an ecstacy1 and immediately put his boats in sailing order1 and was perfectly inattentive to the counsel and warning of the spectators1 who shouted to him1 that he would be drowned4 ,his whole attention was absorbed by his boats4 ,he had formed an idea1 that one should outsail the rest1 and when this boat was foremost he was in delight2 but if any one of the others got beyond it he howled with grief2 and once ,i saw him throw his crutch at one of the unfavoured boats4 ,the tide came in rapidly--he lost his crutches1 and would have been drowned1 but for the care of some of the spectators3 he was however wholly inattentive to any thing save his boats4 ,he is said to be quite insane and perfectly ungovernable1 and will not live in a house1 or wear any clothes1 and his whole life is spent in this one business--making and managing a fleet of wooden boats1 of which he is sole admiral4 ,how near this mad youth is to a genius1 a hero1 or to an angler1 who injures his health and risks his life by going into the water as high as his middle1 in the hope of catching a fish which he sees rise1 though he already has a pannier full4 ,,hal4--,or a statesman1 working by all means1 fair and foul1 to obtain a blue ribband4 ,or a fox-hunter1 risking his neck to see the hounds destroy an animal1 which he preserves to be destroyed1 and which is good for nothing4 ,or an aged1 licentious voluptuary1 using all the powers of a high and cultivated intellect to destroy the innocence of a beautiful virgin--for a transient gratification to render her miserable1 and by making a flaw in an inestimable and brilliant gem1 utterly to destroy its value4 ,,phys4--,you might go on and cite almost all the objects of pursuit of rational beings1 as1 by distinction1 they are called4 ,but to return to your favourite amusement4 ,i wonder1 that1 with such a passion for angling1 you have never made an expedition in one of our whalers--with ,captain ,scoresby for instance3 you would then have enjoyed sport of a new kind4 ,,hal4--,i should like much to see a whale taken1 but ,i do not think the sight worth the dangers and privations of such a voyage4 ,it would only be an amusing spectacle and not an enterprise1 unless indeed ,i employed myself the harpoon2 and after all it must be a tedious operation1 that of watching the sinking and rising of a fish obedient to a natural instinct1 which1 in this instance1 is the cause of his death4 ,,poiet4--,how8 ,,hal4--,the whale1 having no air bladder1 can sink to the lowest depths of the ocean1 and1 mistaking the harpoon for the teeth of a sword fish or a shark1 he instantly descends1 this being his manner of freeing himself from these enemies1 who cannot bear the pressure of a deep ocean1 and from ascending and descending in small space1 he puts himself in the power of the whaler2 where as1 if he knew his force1 and were to swim on the surface in a straight line1 he would break or destroy the machinery by which he is arrested1 as easily as a salmon breaks the single gut of a fisher when his reel is entangled4 ,,poiet4--,my amusement in such a voyage would be to look for the kraken and the sea snake4 ,,hal4--,you have a vivid imagination1 and might see them4 ,,poiet4--,then you do not believe in the existence of these wonderful animals8 ,,hal4--,no more than ,i do in that of the merman1 or mermaid4 ,,poiet4--,yet we have histories1 which seem authentic1 of the appearance of these monsters1 and there are not wanting persons who assert1 that they have seen the mermaid even in these islands4 ,,hal4--,i disbelieve the authenticity of these stories4 ,i do not mean to deny the existence of large marine animals having analogies to the serpent2 the conger we know is such an animal3 ,i have seen one nearly ten feet long1 and there may be longer ones1 but such animals do not come to the surface4 ,the only sea snake1 that has been examined by naturalists1 turned out to be a putrid species of shark--the squalus maximus4 ,yet all the newspapers gave accounts of this as a real animal1 and endowed it with feet1 which do not belong to serpents4 ,and the sea snakes1 seen by ,american and ,norwegian captains1 have1 ,i think1 generally been a company of porpoises1 the rising and sinking of which in lines would give somewhat the appearance of the coils of a snake4 ,the kraken1 or island fish1 is still more imaginary4 ,i have myself seen immense numbers of enormous urtic marin1 or blubbers1 in the north seas1 and in some of the ,norwegian fiords1 or inland bays1 and often these beautiful creatures give colour to the water2 but it is exceedingly improbable1 that an animal of this genus should ever be of the size1 even of the whale2 its soft materials are little fitted for locomotion1 and would be easily destroyed by every kind of fish4 ,hands and a finny tail are entirely contrary to the analogy of nature1 and ,i disbelieve the mermaid upon philosophical principles4 ,the dugong and manatee are the only animals combining the functions of the mammalia with some of the characters of fishes1 that can be imagined1 even as a link1 this part of the order of nature4 ,many of these stories have been founded upon the long-haired seal seen at a distance1 others on the appearance of the common seal under particular circumstances of light and shade1 and some on still more singular circumstances4 ,a worthy baronet1 remarkable for his benevolent views and active spirit1 has propagated a story of this kind1 and he seems to claim for his native country the honour of possessing this extraordinary animal2 but the mermaid of ,caithness was certainly a gentleman1 who happened to be travelling on that wild shore1 and who was seen bathing by some young ladies at so great a distance1 that not only genus but gender was mistaken4 ,i am acquainted with him1 and have had the story from his own mouth4 ,he is a young man1 fond of geological pursuits1 and one day in the middle of ,august1 having fatigued and heated himself by climbing a rock to examine a particular appearance of a granite1 he gave his clothes to his ,highland guide1 who was taking care of his pony1 and descended to the sea4 ,the sun was just setting1 and he amused himself for some time by swimming from rock to rock1 and having unclipped hair and no cap1 he sometimes threw aside his locks1 and wrung the water from them on the rocks4 ,he happened the year after to be at ,harrowgate1 and was sitting at table with two young ladies from ,caithness1 who were relating to a wondering audience the story of the mermaid they had seen1 which had already been published in the newspapers3 they described her1 as she usually is described by poets1 as a beautiful animal1 with remarkably fair skin1 and long green hair4 ,the young gentleman took the liberty1 as most of the rest of the company did1 to put a few questions to the elder of the two ladies--such as1 on what day and precisely where this singular phenomenon had appeared4 ,she had noted down1 not merely the day1 but the hour and minute1 and produced a map of the place4 ,our bather referred to his journal1 and showed1 that a human animal was swimming in the very spot at that very time1 who had some of the characters ascribed to the mermaid1 but who laid no claim to others1 particularly the green hair and fish's tail2 but being rather sallow in the face1 was glad to have such testimony to the colour of his body beneath his garments4 ,,poiet4--,but ,i do not understand upon what philosophical principles you deny the existence of the mermaid4 ,we are not necessarily acquainted with all the animals that inhabit the bottom of the sea2 and ,i cannot help thinking there must have been some foundation for the fable of the ,tritons and ,nereids4 ,,hal4--,ay2 and of the ocean divinities1 ,neptune and ,amphitrite6 ,,poiet4--,now ,i think you are prejudiced4 ,,hal4--,i remember the worthy baronet1 whom ,i just now mentioned1 on some one praising the late ,sir ,joseph ,banks very highly1 said1 8,sir ,joseph was an excellent man--but he had his prejudices40 ,what were they8 said my friend4 8,why1 he did not believe in the mermaid40 ,pray still consider me as the baronet did ,sir ,joseph--prejudiced on this subject4 ,,orn4--,but give us some reasons for the impossibility of the existence of this animal4 ,,hal4--,nay1 ,i did not say impossibility2 ,i am too much of the school of ,isaac ,walton to talk of impossibility4 ,it doubtless might please ,god to make a mermaid2 but ,i do not believe ,god ever did make one4 ,,orn4--,and why8 ,,hal4--,because wisdom and order are found in all his works1 and the parts of animals are always in harmony with each other1 and always adapted to certain ends consistent with the analogy of nature2 and a human head1 human hands1 and human mamm1 are wholly inconsistent with a fish's tail4 ,the human head is adapted for an erect posture1 and in such a posture an animal with a fish's tail could not swim2 and a creature with lungs must be on the surface several times in a day--and the sea is an inconvenient breathing place2 and hands are instruments of manufacture--and the depths of the ocean are little fitted for fabricating that mirror which our old prints gave to the mermaid4 ,such an animal1 if created1 could not long exist2 and1 with scarcely any locomotive powers1 would be the prey of other fishes1 formed in a manner more suited to their element4 ,i have seen a most absurd fabrication of a mermaid1 exposed as a show in ,london1 said to have been found in the ,chinese seas1 and bought for a large sum of money4 ,the head and bust of two different apes were fastened to the lower part of a kipper salmon1 which had the fleshy fin1 and all the distinct characters1 of the salmo salar4 ,,orn4--,and yet there were people who believed this to be a real animal4 ,,hal4--,it was insisted on1 to prove the truth of the ,caithness story4 ,but what is there which people will not believe8 ,,poiet4--,in listening to your conversation we have forgotten our angling1 and have lost some moments of fine cloudy weather4 ,,hal4--,i thought you were tired of catching trouts and graylings1 and ,i therefore did not urge you to continue your fly-fishing2 and this part of the river does not contain so many grayling as the pools above--but there are good trout1 and it is possible there may be huchos4 ,let me recommend to you to put on minnow tackle--that tackle with the five small hooks2 and1 as we have minnows and bleaks1 you may perhaps hook trout1 or even huchos2 and in half an hour our fish dinner at the inn will be ready4 ,i shall return there1 to see that all is right1 and shall expect you when you have finished your fishing4 ,they all meet in the dining-room of the inn4 ,,hal4--,well1 what sort of sport have you had since ,i left you8 ,,poiet4--,we have each caught a trout and two large chubs1 and have had two or three runs besides--but we saw no huchos2 and though several large grayling rose in one of the streams1 and we tried to catch them by spinning the minnow in every possible way1 yet they took no notice of our bait4 ,,hal4--,this is usually the case4 ,i have heard of anglers who have taken grayling with minnows1 but it is a rare occurrence1 and never happened to me4 ,your dinner1 ,i dare say1 is now ready2 and you know it is a dinner entirely of the genus salmo1 with vegetables and fruit4 ,you have hucho from the ,traun1 and char from ,aussee1 and trout from the ,traun ,see1 that were brought alive to the inn1 and have only just been killed and crimped1 and are now boiling in salt and water2 and you have likewise grayling and laverets from the ,traun ,see1 which are equally fresh1 and will be fried4 ,,phys4--,i think1 in this part of the continent1 the art of carrying and keeping fish is better understood than in ,england4 ,every inn has a box containing grayling1 trout1 carp1 or char1 into which water from a spring runs2 and no one thinks of carrying or sending dead fish for a dinner4 ,a fish barrel full of cool water1 which is replenished at every fresh source amongst these mountains1 is carried on the shoulders of the fisherman4 ,and the fish1 when confined in wells1 are fed with bullock's liver1 cut into fine pieces1 so that they are often in better season in the tank or stew than when they were taken4 ,i have seen trout1 grayling1 and char even1 feed voraciously1 and take their food almost from the hand4 ,these methods of carrying and preserving fish have1 ,i believe1 been adopted from the monastic establishments4 ,at ,admondt1 in ,styria1 attached to the magnificent monastery of that name1 are abundant ponds and reservoirs for every species of fresh water fish2 and the char1 grayling1 and trout are preserved in different waters--covered1 enclosed1 and under lock and key4 ,,poiet4--,i admire in this country not only the mode of preserving1 carrying1 and dressing fish1 but ,i am delighted1 generally1 with the habits of life of the peasants1 and with their manners4 ,it is a country in which ,i should like to live2 the scenery is so beautiful1 the people so amiable and good-natured1 and their attentions to strangers so marked by courtesy and disinterestedness4 ,,phys4--,they appear to me very amiable and good2 but all classes seem to be little instructed4 ,,poiet4--,there are few philosophers amongst them1 certainly2 but they appear very happy1 and ,where ignorance is bliss1 'tis folly to be wise4 ,we have neither seen nor heard of any instances of crime since we have been here4 ,they fear their ,god1 love their sovereign1 are obedient to the laws1 and seem perfectly contented4 ,i know you would contrast them with the active and educated peasantry of the manufacturing districts of ,england2 but ,i believe they are much happier1 and ,i am sure they are generally better4 ,,phys4--,i doubt this3 the sphere of enjoyment1 as well as of benevolence1 is enlarged by education4 ,,poiet4--,i am sorry to say ,i think the system carried too far in ,england4 ,god forbid1 that any useful light should be extinguished6 ,let persons who wish for education receive it2 but it appears to me1 that1 in the great cities in ,england1 it is1 as it were1 forced upon the population2 and that sciences1 which the lower classes can only very superficially acquire1 are presented to them2 in consequence of which they often become idle and conceited1 and above their usual laborious occupations4 ,the unripe fruit of the tree of knowledge is1 ,i believe1 always bitter or sour2 and scepticism and discontent--sicknesses of the mind--are often the results of devouring it4 ,,hal4--,surely you cannot have a more religious1 more moral1 or more improved population than that of ,scotland8 ,,poiet4--,precisely so4 ,in ,scotland1 education is not forced upon the people--it is sought for1 and is connected with their forms of faith1 acquired in the bosoms of their families1 and generally pursued with a distinct object of prudence or interest3 nor is that kind of education wanting in this country4 ,,phys4--,where a book is rarely seen1 a newspaper never4 ,,poiet4--,pardon me--there is not a cottage without a prayer book2 and ,i am not sorry1 that these innocent and happy men are not made active and tumultuous subjects of ,king ,press1 whom ,i consider as the most capricious1 depraved1 and unprincipled tyrant1 that ever existed in ,england4 ,depraved--for it is to be bought by great wealth2 capricious--because it sometimes follows1 and sometimes forms1 the voice of the lowest mob2 and unprincipled--because1 when its interests are concerned1 it sets at defiance private feeling and private character1 and neither regards their virtue1 dignity1 nor purity4 ,,hal4--,my friends1 you are growing warm4 ,i know you differ essentially on this subject2 but surely you will allow that the full liberty of the press1 even though it sometimes degenerates into licentiousness1 and though it may sometimes be improperly used by the influence of wealth1 power1 or private favour1 is yet highly advantageous1 and even essential to the existence of a free country2 and1 useful as it may be to the population1 it is still more useful to the government1 to whom1 as expressing the voice of the people1 though not always vox ,dei1 it may be regarded as oracular or prophetic4--,but let us change our conversation1 which is neither in time nor place4 ,,poiet4--,this river must be inexhaustible for sport3 ,i have nowhere seen so many fish4 ,,hal4--,however full a river may be of trout and grayling1 there is a certain limit to the sport of the angler1 if continuous fishing be adopted in the same pools4 ,every fish is in its turn made acquainted by diurnal habit with the artificial fly1 and either taken or rendered cautious2 so that1 in a river fished much by one or two good anglers1 many fish cannot be caught1 except under peculiar circumstances of very windy1 rainy1 or cloudy weather1 when many flies come on2 or at night1 or at the time the water is slightly coloured by a flood1 or when fish change their haunts in consequence of a great inundation4 ,in the ,usk1 in ,monmouthshire1 when it was very full of fish in the best fishing time1 when the spring brown and dun flies were on the water1 it was not usual for some excellent anglers1 who composed a party of nine1 and who fished in this river for ten continuous days1 to catch more than two or three fish each person4 ,but one day1 when the water was coloured by a flood1 in which case the artificial fly could not be distinguished by the fish from the natural fly1 ,i caught twelve or fourteen of the same fish1 that had been in the habit of refusing my flies for many days successively4 ,this was in the end of ,march1 #ahji1 when the flies always came on the water with great regularity2 the blues in dark days1 the browns in bright days1 between twelve and two o'clock in the middle of the day4 ,in rivers where the artificial fly has never been used1 ,i believe all the fish will mistake good imitations for natural flies1 and in their turn1 to use an angler's phrase1 8taste the steel20 but even very imperfect imitations and coarse tackle1 which are only successful at night or in turbid water1 are sufficient to render fish cautious4 ,this ,i am convinced of1 by observing the difference of the habits of fish in strictly preserved streams1 and in streams where even peasants have fished with the coarsest tackle4 ,i might quote the ,traun at ,ischl1 where the native fisherman used three or four of the coarsest flies on the coarsest hair links made of four or five or six hairs1 and the ,traun at ,gmunden1 where they are not allowed to fish4 ,the fish that rose took with much more certainty at ,gmunden than at ,ischl4 ,at a time when many flies are on1 particularly large ones1 a few days of continuous fishing1 even with a single rod1 will soon make the sport indifferent in the best rivers2 but the larger and the deeper the river the longer it continues1 because fish change their stations occasionally1 and pricked fish sometimes leave their haunts1 which are occupied by others2 and graylings are more disposed to change their places than trouts4 ,as instances of the difference in this respect between large and small rivers1 ,i may quote the ,vockla and the ,agger in ,upper ,austria4 ,the first of these rivers1 when ,i fished in it in #ahah1 was full of trout and grayling1 and ,i believe ,i was the first person1 for at least many years1 that had ever thrown an artificial fly upon it4 ,it is a small stream1 from eight to fifteen yards wide1 and can every where be commanded by the double-handed rod1 and is generally shallow4 ,the first day that ,i fished in this stream1 which was in the beginning of ,august1 at every throw ,i hooked a fish1 and ,i took out and restored again to their element in the course of a few hours more than one hundred and fifty trout and grayling4 ,the next day ,i fished in the same places1 but with a very different result3 ,i caught only half a dozen large fish3 the third morning1 going over the same ground1 ,i had great difficulty even to get a brace of fish for my dinner1 and those1 as well as ,i recollect1 ,i caught by throwing in places which had not been fished before4 ,i ought to mention1 that the space of water where this experiment was made did not exceed half a mile in length4 ,i shall now speak of the ,agger1 which is a much larger and deeper river than the ,vockla1 and cannot be commanded in any part by a double-handed rod1 being at least from forty to sixty yards across4 ,the first time ,i fished this river1 ,i had the same kind of sport as in the ,vockla2 the second day1 under the same favourable circumstances1 there were fewer rises than on the first day1 but still sufficient to give good sport2 and it was the fourth day before it became difficult to catch a good dish of fish1 and necessary to seek new water4 ,the greater depth of the water1 and the change of place of the fish1 particularly the grayling1 explain this1 to say nothing of the greater number of fish which the larger river contained4 ,i am1 of course1 speaking of one of the best periods of fly-fishing1 when many large flies1 of which imitations are easily found1 have been on the water4 ,in spring 7a bad season for fly-fishing in high ,alpine countries7 ,i have thrown great varieties of flies on these two highly stocked streams1 and have found it difficult to get a brace of fish for the table1 as the trout and grayling were all lying at the bottom1 not expecting any winged food at this season4 ,a river that runs into a large lake affords1 at its junction with the lake1 by far the best place for continuous angling1 particularly for trout in autumn4 ,the fish are constantly running up the river for the purpose of spawning1 and every day offers a succession of new shoals1 of which many will take the fly2 ,i say many1 because at this season some of the fish1 particularly the females1 are capricious1 and refuse a bait1 of which1 under other circumstances they are greedy4 ,i may say the same with respect to the exit of a river from a lake1 to which successions of fishes resort1 and though trout are found abundantly in such places1 yet they are often still better places for grayling when these fish exist in the lake1 the tendency of grayling being rather1 as ,i said on another occasion1 to descend than to ascend waters1 whilst that of the trout is the contrary4 ,the same principles apply to salmon and sea-trout fishing1 which run up rivers from basins of the sea3 the best situations for continuous angling are those parts of the river where there is a succession of fishes from the tide4 ,,poiet4--,you spoke just now of peasants fishing with the fly in ,austria3 ,i thought this art was entirely ,english2 and though ,i have travelled much1 ,i do not recollect ever to have seen fly-fishing practised by native anglers abroad4 ,,hal4--,i assure you there are fishers with the artificial fly in different parts of ,switzerland1 ,germany1 and ,illyria1 though always with rude tackle1 and usually upon rapid streams4 ,besides the ,traun ,i can mention the ,rhine1 the ,rhone1 and the ,drave1 as rivers where ,i have seen fish caught with rude imitations of flies used by native anglers4 ,in ,italy1 where trout and grayling are very rare1 and only found amongst the highest mountain chains1 ,i have never seen any fly-fishers1 but near ,ravenna ,i have sometimes seen anglers for frogs1 who threw their bait exactly as we throw a fly1 and caught great numbers of these animals3 and the nature of their apparatus surprised me more than their method of using it4 ,instead of a hook and bait they employed a small dry frog1 tied to a long piece of twine1 the fore legs of which projected like two hooks1 and this they threw at a distance1 by means of a long rod4 ,the frogs rose like fish and gorged the small dry frog1 by the legs of which they were pulled out of the water4 ,i was informed by one of these fishermen1 that he sometimes took #bjj frogs in this way in a morning1 and that the frogs never swallowed any bait when still or apparently dead1 but caught at whatever was moving or appeared alive on the surface of the water2 so that this amphibia feeds like a nobler animal1 the eagle1 only on living prey4 ,,poiet4--,you say trout are rare in ,italy1 yet on ,ash-wednesday1 a great day for the consumption of fish in ,rome1 ,i remember to have seen some large trout1 which1 ,i was told1 were from the ,velino1 above the falls of ,terni4 ,,hal4--,i once went almost to the source of this river1 above ,rieti1 in the hopes of catching trout1 but ,i was unsuccessful4 ,i saw some taken by nets1 but the fish were too few1 and the river too foul1 from the deposition of calcareous matter1 to render it a good stream for the angler4 ,in this journey ,i saw some trout in brooks in the ,sabine country1 that ,i dare say might have been taken by the fly1 but they were small1 and like the brook trout of ,england4 ,in these streams1 as well as in the ,velino and other torrents1 ,i found the water-ouzel1 which1 as far as my knowledge extends1 is always a companion of the trout1 and ,i believe feeds much upon the same larv or water-flies4 ,,orn4--,these singular little birds1 as ,i have witnessed1 walk under water4 ,i have often watched them running beneath the surface of the sides of streams1 and passing between stones4 ,i conclude they were then in the act of searching for1 or feeding upon larv4 ,,hal4--,i suppose so1 and ,i hope ,ornither will shoot one to give us an opportunity of examining the contents of their stomachs1 and of knowing with certainty the nature of their food4 ,,phys4--,the char#h is a most beautiful and excellent fish1 and is1 of course1 a fish of prey4 ,is he not an object of sport to the angler8 ,,hal4--,they generally haunt deep cool lakes1 and are seldom found at the surface till late in the autumn4 ,when they are at the surface1 however1 they will take either fly or minnow4 ,i have known some caught in both these ways2 and have myself taken a char1 even in summer1 in one of those beautiful1 small1 deep lakes in the ,upper ,tyrol1 near ,nazereit2 but it was where a cool stream entered from the mountain2 and the fish did not rise1 but swallowed the artificial fly under water4 ,the char is always in its colour a very brilliant fish1 but in different countries there are many varieties in the tint4 ,i do not remember ever to have seen more beautiful fish than those of ,aussee1 which1 when in perfect season1 have the lower fins and the belly of the brightest vermilion1 with a white line on the outside of the pectoral1 ventral1 anal1 and lower part of the caudal fin1 and with vermilion spots1 surrounded by the bright olive shade of the sides and back3 the dorsal fin in the char has #aa spines1 the pectoral #ad1 the ventral #i1 the anal #aj1 and the caudal #bj4 ,i have fished for them in many lakes1 without success1 both in ,england and ,scotland1 and also amongst the ,alps2 and ,i am told the only sure way of taking them is by sinking a line with a bullet1 and a hook having a live minnow attached to it1 in the deep water which they usually haunt2 and in this way1 likewise1 ,i have no doubt the umbla1 or ombre chevalier1 might be taken4 ,,poiet4--,i have never happened to see this fish4 ,,hal4--,it is very like char in form1 but is without spots1 and has a white and silvery belly4 ,on the table1 its flesh cuts white or cream-colour1 and it is exceedingly like char in flavour4 ,feb4 #aa1 #ahbg1 one was brought me from the lake of ,bourget1 in ,savoy2 it was said to be small for this fish2 it was #ae inches long1 and #g in circumference4 ,in the dorsal fin there were #ab spines1 in the pectoral #i1 in the ventral #h1 in the anal #aa1 and in the caudal #bd4 ,,poiet4--,is it found in this country8 ,,hal4--,from some descriptions ,i have heard of certain species of the salmo found in the ,maun ,see1 ,traun ,see1 and ,leopoldstadt ,see1 ,i think it is4 ,bloch says1 that it is peculiar to the lakes of ,geneva and ,neufchatel2 but what ,i have just said must convince you of the inaccuracy of this statement1 as ,i dare say the fish exists in other deep waters of a like character amongst the ,alps4 ,it is a fish closely allied to the char1 and congenerous both in form and habits4 ,,phys4--,you mentioned1 among the fish for dinner1 the laveret3 ,i never heard of this fish before4 ,,hal4--,it is a fish known in ,england by the name of shelley1 or fresh water herring2 in ,wales1 by that of guinead2 in ,ireland1 by that of pollan2 and in ,scotland1 by that of vengis4 ,in colour it is most like a grayling1 but with broader and larger scales3 it is common in the large lakes of most ,alpine countries1 and is known at ,geneva by the name of ferra2 and ,i believe that the salmo ceruleus1 or wartmann of ,bloch1 or the gang-fisch of the lake of ,constante1 from a comparison that ,i made of it with the ferra1 is a variety of the same fish4 ,it sometimes is as large as #blbs42 and when quite fresh1 and well fried or boiled1 is an exceedingly good fish1 and calvers like a grayling4 ,the laveret of different lakes has appeared to me to vary in the number of the spines in the fins4 ,one1 brought me from the lake of ,zurich1 #ac inches long1 and #h inches in girth1 had #ab spines in the dorsal fin1 #ae in the pectoral fins1 #aa in the ventral1 #ac in the anal1 and #ah in the caudal4 ,the gang-fisch1 from the lake of ,constanz1 which was of a bluer colour1 but1 ,i think decidedly1 only a variety of the same fish1 was #g inches long1 and #d in girth1 had #ab spines in the dorsal fin1 #ae in the pectoral1 #aa in the ventral1 #ab in the anal1 and #ah in the caudal4 ,a laveret1 from the ,traun ,see1 had #ab spines in the dorsal fin1 #ag in the pectoral1 #ac in the ventral fin1 #ab in the anal fin1 and #bd in the caudal fin4 ,one from the ,hallstadt ,see was a larger and broader fish1 but did not differ from the laveret1 of the ,traun ,see1 except in having two spines less in the tail4 ,,poiet4--,is this fish ever taken with the line8 ,,hal4--,i believe only with nets4 ,it feeds on vegetables2 and in the stomachs of those ,i have opened1 ,i have never found either flies or small fishes4 ,,at ,,table4 ,,orn4--,now the hucho is dressed1 and on the same table with other species of the salmo1 ,i perceive his peculiarities more distinctly2 and1 in addition to those you have mentioned1 he appears to me to have a stronger upper jaw1 and a larger projection of bone below the orbit of the eye4 ,,hal4--,he has2 and you will find a similar character in the pike and perch1 and1 ,i believe1 in most fishes of prey2 and the use of it seems to be1 to strengthen the fulcrum of the lever on which the lower jaw moves1 so as to afford the means of greater strength to the whole muscular apparatus1 by means of which the fish seizes his prey4 ,,poiet4--,these fishes1 then1 are analogous to the predatory animals of the feline genus1 which have this part of the head exceedingly strong2 and it is here that the craniologists or phrenologists fix the organ of courage3 does not this extensive chain of analogies offer an argument in favour of this long agitated and generally unpopular doctrine8 ,,phys4--,in my opinion1 it offers1 like most of the facts which have been brought forward to prove the truths of the view of ,gall and ,spurzheim1 an argument rather unfavourable1 when thoroughly and minutely examined4 ,,poiet4--,how8 ,,phys4--,in these rapacious and predatory animals1 the organization of the head must be connected with the functions of the jaws1 as the construction of the shoulder-blade must be related to the use of the fore leg1 which1 being intended to strike and seize by talons1 must have a powerful support and a strong bony apparatus in the shoulder1 which might as well be called the organ of courage as the projection below the frontal bone3 but these animals have no more what is called courage in man1 than they have what is called reason3 they face danger when they are hungry1 but almost always fly when their appetite is satisfied3 a hen1 in defending her chickens against a powerful dog1 or the game cock1 in fighting for the female1 or the timid stag1 at the time of the sexual intercourse1 shows quite as much of this quality as the most ferocious royal tiger4 ,courage is the result of strong passions or strong motives2 and in man it usually results from the love of glory or the fear of shame2 and it appears to me a perfectly absurd idea1 that of connecting it with an organ1 which is merely intended to assist the predatory habits and the mastication of a carnivorous animal4 ,,hal4--,i agree with ,physicus in this view of the subject4 ,i once heard a physiologist of some reputation deducing an argument in favour of craniology from the form of the skull of the beaver1 which he called a constructive animal1 and contended1 that there was something of the same character in the skulls of distinguished architects3 now1 the skull of the beaver is so formed1 that he is able to use his jaws for cutting down the trees with which he makes his dam2 and if this analogy were correct1 the architect ought unquestionably to employ his teeth for the same purpose2 and though ,i have known distinguished men1 who have been in the habit of using knives for cutting furniture with a sort of nervous restlessness of hand1 ,i do not recollect to have heard of the teeth being employed in the same way2 and ,i think it would be quite as correct1 to find the architectural or constructive organ in the opposite part of the body1 the tail1 as the beaver makes a more ingenious use of this part than even of his mouth4 ,pray1 have you ever observed1 ,poietes1 any particular protuberance in the nether parts of any of our distinguished architects8 ,,poiet4--,i am not a craniologist2 but ,i would have the doctrine overturned by facts1 and not by ridicule2 and ,i have certainly seen some remarkable instances1 which were favourable to the system4 ,,hal4--,my experience is entirely on the opposite side2 and ,i once saw a distinguished craniologist in error on a point1 which he considered as the most decided4 ,he was shown two children1 one of whom was possessed of great mathematical acquirements1 the other of extraordinary musical taste4 ,with the utmost confidence he pronounced judgment1 and was mistaken4 ,it appeared to me1 that1 whilst he was examining the two heads1 he hummed an air1 which1 being out of tune1 was not responded to by the musical child2 but somehow struck the fancy of the mathematical one4 ,,orn4--,this hucho is a very good fish1 and1 indeed1 ,i can praise all the varieties of the salmon on the table that ,i have yet tasted4 ,,phys4--,amongst them1 ,i prefer the char1 which1 ,i think1 is even better than the best fresh salmon ,i ever tasted4 ,,poiet4--,this char is surprisingly red and full of curd2 ,i wonder at its fat3 ,it comes from the ,grundtl ,see1 which is a high ,alpine lake1 covered with ice more than half the year3 what food can the fish find in so pure and cold a water8 ,,hal4--,minnows and small chubs are found in this lake2 and the flies which haunt it in summer have been aquatic larv in the autumn1 winter1 and spring2 and there are usually great quantities of small shell fish1 which live in the deeper parts of this water2 so that char may find food even in winter2 and cold1 or the repose to which it leads1 seems favourable to the development or conservation of fat4 ,most of the polar animals 7the whale1 moose1 seal1 and white bear1 for instance7 are loaded with this substance2 and the salmon of the ,arctic ,ocean are remarkable for their quantity of curd3 those that run up the rivers in ,russia from the ,white ,sea are said to be fatter and better1 than those caught in the streams which run into the ,baltic4 ,,orn4--,i agree with ,physicus in his praise of the char3 we are indebted to you for an excellent entertainment4 ,,hal4--,at ,lintz1 on the ,danube1 ,i could have given you a fish dinner of a different description1 which you might have liked as a variety4 ,the four kinds of perch1 the spiegel carpfen1 and the siluris glanis2 all good fish1 and which ,i am sorry we have not in ,england1 where ,i doubt not they might be easily naturalized1 and they would form an admirable addition to the table in inland counties4 ,since ,england has become ,protestant1 the cultivation of fresh water fish has been much neglected4 ,the burbot1 or lotte1 which already exists in some of the streams tributary to the ,trent1 and which is a most admirable fish1 might be diffused without much difficulty2 and nothing could be more easy than to naturalize the spiegel carpfen and siluris2 and ,i see no reason why the perca lucio perca and zingel should not succeed in some of our clear lakes and ponds1 which abound in coarse fish4 ,the new ,zological ,society1 ,i hope1 will attempt something of this kind2 and it will be a better object than introducing birds and beast of prey--though ,i have no objection to any source of rational amusement or philosophical curiosity4 ,,poiet4--,a fish dinner such as you have just described1 combined with one such as we have enjoyed to-day1 might1 ,i think1 be made an interesting experimental lecture on natural history4 ,the analogies of the different species and genera of fishes1 so distinct in the form of their organs1 are likewise marked in the appearance and taste of their flesh4 ,the salmon and the char may be regarded as the generic types of the salmo4 ,by trout1 which have sometimes red and sometimes white flesh1 they are connected with the grayling and hucho4 ,by the grayling the trout is connected with the laveret1 and by the laveret the genus salmo is connected with the carp genus4 ,the char is immediately connected with the grayling1 and laveret by the umbula4 ,by the sea trout the salmon is connected with the trout2 and by the hucho1 with the pike and perch families4 ,,hal4--,we will arrange a dinner of this kind in ,england1 and by means of it follow the analogies of salt and fresh water fishes4 ,but the time for our parting is almost arrived4--,let us drink a glass each of this old wine of the ,danube to our next happy meeting1 and go and take a last look of the ,fall of ,traun1 whilst our carriages are preparing4 ,they walk to the rock above the ,fall of the ,traun4 ,,hal4--,see1 the cataract is now in great beauty2 the river above is coloured by the setting sun1 and the glow of the rosy light on the upper stream is beautifully and wonderfully contrasted with the tints of the cataract below4 ,have you ever seen any thing so fine8 ,,poiet4--,the lights are beautiful2 but ,i have certainly seen a finer combination of features in the ,fall of the ,velino1 at ,terni1 though that water is not clear2 but1 even with this defect1 it is certainly the most perfect of ,european falls4 ,this cascade of the ,traun1 though not so elevated as that of ,terni1 and not so large as that of ,schaffhausen1 yet1 from its perfect clearness1 and the harmony of the surrounding objects1 ranks high1 as to picturesque effect1 amongst the waterfalls of ,europe2 and the wonderful transparency of its pale-green water gives it a peculiar charm in my eyes1 enhanced as it is now by the light of the glowing western sky2 and the tints of the quadrant iris on its spray are not brighter than those of its stream and foam4 ,,orn4--,we have now followed this water at least thirty miles1 and wherever we have seen it1 it has always displayed the same characters of clearness and rapidity--of green stream and white foam2 and we have traced it from the snowy mountains of ,styria to the plains of ,upper ,austria1 where it serves to purify the darker ,danube4 ,how is it1 that it has preserved its transparency1 though so many of its tributary streams have been foul1 either from the thunder storm1 or from the sudden melting of snows8 ,,hal4--,the three small lakes and the two larger ones1 which are in fact its reservoirs1 are the cause of this4 ,the ,grndtl ,see furnishes its principal stream1 and this lake is fed by two others--,tplitz ,see and ,lahngen ,see2 and the tributary streams1 which unite at ,aussee1 from ,alten ,aussee and ,oden ,see1 though one is blue and the other yellow1 yet combine to give a tint1 which is nearly the same as that from the stream of the ,grndtl ,see1 and which the river retains throughout its course ,yet ,i have seen even this river very foul1 but only in a part of its course1 below ,ischel4 ,i was once at that place1 when the thunder storm of a night having washed the dust of the roads into the river1 it was extremely turbid from ,ischel to the ,traun ,see4 ,it rendered the upper part of this large lake coloured2 but1 notwithstanding this1 the river came from the lower part of it perfectly clear1 and ,i caught fish in it there with a fly1 which1 at its entrance into the lake was quite impossible4 ,,poiet4--,you1 ,halieus1 must certainly have considered the causes which produce the colours of waters4 ,the streams of our own island are of a very different colour from these mountain rivers1 and why should the same element or substance assume such a variety of tints8 ,,hal4--,i certainly have often thought upon the subject1 and ,i have made some observations and one experiment in relation to it4 ,i will give you my opinion with pleasure1 and1 as far as ,i know1 they have not been brought forward in any of the works on the properties of water1 or on its consideration as a chemical element4 ,the purest water with which we are acquainted is undoubtedly that which falls from the atmosphere4 ,having touched air alone1 it can contain nothing but what it gains from the atmosphere1 and it is distilled without the chance of those impurities1 which may exist in the vessels used in an artificial operation4 ,we cannot well examine the water precipitated from the atmosphere1 as rain1 without collecting it in vessels1 and all artificial contact gives more or less of contamination2 but in snow1 melted by the sunbeams1 that has fallen on glaciers1 themselves formed from frozen snow1 water may be regarded as in its state of greatest purity4 ,congelation expels both salts and air from water1 whether existing below1 or formed in1 the atmosphere2 and in the high and uninhabited regions of glaciers1 there can scarcely be any substances to contaminate4 ,removed from animal and vegetable life1 they are even above the mineral kingdom2 and though there are instances in which the rudest kind of vegetation 7of the fungus or mucor kind7 is even found upon snows1 yet this is a rare occurrence2 and red snow1 which is occasioned by it1 is an extraordinary and not a common phenomenon towards the pole1 and on the highest mountains of the globe4 ,having examined the water formed from melted snow on glaciers in different parts of the ,alps1 and having always found it of the same quality1 ,i shall consider it as pure water1 and describe its characters4 ,its colour1 when it has any depth1 or when a mass of it is seen through1 is bright blue2 and1 according to its greater or less depth of substance1 it has more or less of this colour3 as its insipidity1 and its other physical qualities1 are not at this moment objects of your inquiry1 ,i shall not dwell upon them4 ,in general1 in examining lakes and masses of water in high mountains1 their colour is of the same bright azure4 ,and ,captain ,parry states1 that the water on the ,polar ice has the like beautiful tint4 ,when vegetables grow in lakes1 the colour becomes nearer the sea green1 and as the quantity of impregnation from their decay increases--greener1 yellowish green1 and at length1 when the vegetable extract is large in quantity--as in countries where peat is found--yellow1 and even brown4 ,to mention instances1 the ,lake of ,geneva1 fed from sources 7particularly the higher ,rhone7 formed from melting snow1 is blue2 and the ,rhone pours from it1 dyed of the deepest azure1 and retains partially this colour till it is joined by the ,soane1 which gives to it a greener hue4 ,the ,lake of ,morat1 on the contrary1 which is fed from a lower country1 and from less pure sources1 is grass green4 ,and there is an illustrative instance in some small lakes fed from the same source1 in the road from ,inspruck to ,stutgard1 which ,i observed in #ahae 7as well as ,i recollect7 between ,nazareit and ,reiti4 ,the highest lake fed by melted snows in ,march1 when ,i saw it1 was bright blue4 ,it discharged itself by a small stream into another1 into which a number of large pines had been blown by a winter storm1 or fallen from some other cause3 in this lake its colour was blue green4 ,in a third lake1 in which there were not only pines and their branches1 but likewise other decaying vegetable matter1 it had a tint of faded grass green2 and these changes had occurred in a space not much more than a mile in length4 ,these observations ,i made in #ahae3 on returning to the same spot twelve years after1 in ,august and ,september1 ,i found the character of the lakes entirely changed4 ,the pine wood washed into the second lake had disappeared2 a large quantity of stones and gravel1 washed down by torrents1 or detached by an avalanche1 supplied their place3 there was no perceptible difference of tint in the two upper lakes2 but the lower one1 where there was still some vegetable matter1 seemed to possess a greener hue4 ,the same principle will apply to the ,scotch and ,irish rivers1 which1 when they rise or issue from pure rocky sources1 are blue1 or bluish green2 and when fed from peat bogs1 or alluvial countries1 yellow1 or amber-coloured1 or brown--even after they have deposited a part of their impurities in great lakes4 ,sometimes1 though rarely1 mineral impregnations give colour to water3 small streams are sometimes green or yellow from ferruginous depositions4 ,calcareous matters seldom affect their colour1 but often their transparency1 when deposited1 as is the case with the ,velino at ,terni1 and the ,anio at ,trivoli2 but ,i doubt if pure saline matters1 which are in themselves white1 ever change the tint of water4 ,,orn4--,on what then does the tint of the ocean depend1 which has itself given name to a colour8 ,,hal4--,i think probably on vegetable matter1 and1 perhaps1 partially1 on two elementary principles1 iodine and brome1 which it certainly contains1 though these are possibly the results of decayed marine vegetables4 ,these give a yellow tint1 when dissolved in minute portions in water1 and this1 mixed with the blue of pure water1 would occasion sea green4 ,i made1 many years ago1 being on the ,mer de ,glace1 an experiment on this subject4 ,i threw a small quantity of iodine1 a substance then recently discovered1 into one of those deep blue basins of water1 which are so frequent on that glacier1 and1 diffusing it as it dissolved with a stick1 ,i saw the water change first to sea green in colour1 then to grass green1 and lastly to yellowish green3 ,i do not1 however1 give this as a proof1 but only as a fact favourable to my conjecture4 ,,poiet4--,it appears to me to confirm your view of the subject1 that snow and ice1 which are merely pure crystallized water1 are always blue1 when seen by transmitted light4 ,i have often admired the deep azure in crevices in masses of snow in severe winters1 and the same colour in the glaciers of ,switzerland1 particularly at the arch where the ,arve issues1 in the ,valley of ,chamouni4 ,we thank you for your illustration4 ,,hal4--,in return1 ,i ask you for some further remarks on this grand waterfall4 ,you said just now1 you preferred the fall of the ,velino for picturesque effect to any other waterfall you have seen2 yet it is a small river compared even with the ,traun1 and nothing compared with the ,gotha1 the ,rhine1 or1 above all1 the ,glommen4 ,,poiet4--,size is merely comparative3 ,i prefer the fall of the ,velino1 because its parts are in harmony4 ,it displays all the force and power of the element1 in its rapid and precipitous descent1 and you feel1 that even man would be nothing in its waves1 and would be dashed to pieces by its force4 ,the whole scene is embraced at once by the eye1 and the effect is almost as sublime as that of the ,glommen1 where the river is at least one hundred times as large2 for the ,glommen falls1 as it were1 from a whole valley upon a mountain of granite1 and unless where you see the giant pines of ,norway1 fifty or sixty feet in height1 carried down by it and swimming in its whirlpools like straws1 you have no idea of its magnitude and power3 yet still1 ,i think1 considering it in all its relations1 this is the most awful fall of water ,i have seen1 as that of ,velino is the most perfect and beautiful4 ,i am not sure1 that ,i ought not to place the fall of the ,gotha above that of the ,rhine1 both for variety of effect and beauty2 and the river1 in my opinion1 is quite as large1 and the colour of the water quite as beautiful4 ,,hal4--,but our horses are ready1 and the time of separation arrives4 ,i trust we shall all have a happy meeting in ,england in the winter4 ,i have made you idlers at home and abroad1 but ,i hope to some purpose2 and1 ,i trust1 you will confess the time bestowed upon angling has not been thrown away4 ,the most important principle perhaps in life is to have a pursuit--a useful one if possible1 and at all events an innocent one4 ,and the scenes you have enjoyed--the contemplations to which they have led1 and the exercise in which we have indulged1 have1 ,i am sure1 been very salutary to the body1 and1 ,i hope1 to the mind4 ,i have always found a peculiar effect from this kind of life2 it has appeared to bring me back to early times and feelings1 and to create again the hopes and happiness of youthful days4 ,,phys4--,i felt something like what you described1 and were ,i convinced that in the cultivation of the amusement1 these feelings would increase1 ,i would devote myself to it with passion2 but1 ,i fear1 in my case this is impossible4 ,ah6 could ,i recover any thing like that freshness of mind1 which ,i possessed at twenty-five1 and which1 like the dew of the dawning morning1 covered all objects and nourished all things that grew1 and in which they were more beautiful even than in mid-day sunshine1--what would ,i not give6--,all that ,i have gained in an active and not unprofitable life4 ,how well ,i remember that delightful season1 when1 full of power1 ,i sought for power in others2 and power was sympathy1 and sympathy power2--when the dead and the unknown1 the great of other ages and of distant places1 were made1 by the force of the imagination1 my companions and friends2--when every voice seemed one of praise and love2 when every flower had the bloom and odour of the rose2 and every spray or plant seemed either the poet's laurel1 or the civic oak--which appeared to offer themselves as wreaths to adorn my throbbing brow4 ,but1 alas6 this cannot be2 and even you cannot have two springs in life--though ,i have no doubt you have fishing days1 in which the feelings of youth return1 and that your autumn has a more vernal character than mine4 ,,poiet4--,i do not think ,halieus had ever any season1 except a perpetual and gentle spring2 for the tones of his mind have been always so quiet1 it has been so little scorched by sunshine1 and so little shaken by winds1 that1 ,i think1 it may be compared to that sempivernal climate fabled of the ,hesperides1 where the same trees produced at once buds1 leaves1 blossoms1 and fruits4 ,,hal4--,nay1 my friends6 spare me a little1 spare my gray hairs4 ,i have not perhaps abused my youth so much as some of my friends1 but all things that you have known1 ,i have known2 and if ,i have not been so much scorched by the passions from which so many of my acquaintances have suffered1 ,i owe it rather to the constant employment of a laborious profession1 and to the exertions called for by the hopes1 wants1 and wishes of a rising family1 than to any merits of my own1 either moral or constitutional4 ,for my health1 ,i may thank my ancestors1 after my ,god1 and ,i have not squandered what was so bountifully given2 and though ,i do not expect1 like our arch-patriarch1 ,walton1 to number ninety years and upwards1 yet1 ,i hope1 as long as ,i can enjoy in a vernal day the warmth and light of the sunbeams1 still to haunt the streams--following the example of our late venerable friend1 the ,president of the ,royal academy1#i in company with whom1 when he was an octogenarian1 ,i have thrown the fly1 caught trout1 and enjoyed a delightful day of angling and social amusement1 in the shady green meadows by the bright clear streams of the ,wandle4 ,,additional ,,notes4 7,on the par1 page #ge47 ,the author1 in supposing that the par may be produced from a cross between the river trout and the sea trout1 does not mean to attach any importance to this idea4 ,the fish differs so little from the common trout1 that it may be questioned1 whether it is not more entitled to the character of a variety than of a species4 ,in many rivers on the continent1 the author has seen small trout with olive or brown marks1 like those of the ,british par2 and a friend informs him1 that he has caught fish of the same kind in the streams connected with the ,lake of ,geneva4 ,in rivers1 flowing into the ,danube1 these small fish are very common2 but1 as well as he remembers1 their marks are pale1 or yellowish-brown1 or olive1 and not dark or blue like those of our par4 ,the salmon does not belong to any of these localities1 but the hucho haunts the tributary streams of the ,danube4 ,the smelts1 or young of the salmo hucho1 and sea trout1 and lake trout1 are all distinguished by the uniform dark colour of the back1 and the silvery whiteness of the belly4 ,he does not remember to have seen any of the streaked1 or par varieties of trout in rivers1 in which there was only one species1 or variety of large salmo4 ,the mottled colour of the skin is1 he thinks1 the strongest argument in favour of this little fish1 being from a cross of two varieties1 or races1 which may be the case1 and yet the fish be capable of breeding1 and gaining this character of a peculiar variety2 and he supposes different kinds of pars may be produced by crosses of the sea trout1 the hucho1 the lake trout1 with the river trouts1 or perhaps of the salmon1 and this would account for their great numbers1 and the various tints of the marks on their sides4 ,if the hucho1 as he believes1 generally spawns late in the winter1 it may sometimes meet with trout spawning at the same time4 ,he has seen salmon and trout in the ,tweed in a similar state of maturity at the same period2 and1 in #ahaf1 he remembers1 that he took large female salmon1 that had the period of parturition protracted as late as ,march4 7,on the scolaphax1 page #abd47 ,i shall say a few words on the congeners of this bird 7the solitary snipe17 and on the three varieties so much better known in ,europe4 ,the woodcock feeds indiscriminately upon earthworms1 small beetles1 and various kinds of larv1 and its stomach sometimes contains seeds1 which ,i suspect have been taken up in boring amongst the excrements of cattle2 yet the stomach of this bird has something of the gizzard character1 though not so much as that of the land-rail1 which ,i have found half filled with seeds of grasses1 and even containing corn1 mixed with may-bugs1 earth-worms1 grasshoppers1 and caterpillars4 ,the woodcock1 ,i believe1 breeds habitually only in high northern latitudes1 yet there are woods in ,england1 particularly one in ,sussex1 near the borders of ,hampshire1 in which one or two couple of these birds1 it is said1 may always be found in summer4 ,i suspect these woodcocks are from the offspring of birds which had paired for their passage1 but being detained by an accident happening to one of them1 staid and raised a young brood in ,england1 and the young ones probably had their instincts altered by the accidents of their being born in ,england1 and being in a place well supplied with food4 ,it is not improbable1 that they likewise raised young ones1 and that the habit of staying has become hereditary4 ,there can be no doubt1 that woodcocks are very constant to their local attachments2 woodcocks1 that have been preserved in a particular wood for a winter1 always return to it1 if possible1 the next season4 ,many woodcocks breed in ,norway and ,sweden in the great1 extensive1 and moist pine woods1 filled with bogs and morasses1 which cover these wild countries1 but probably a still greater number breed further north1 in ,lapland1 ,finland1 ,russia1 and ,siberia4 ,it is ,i believe a fable1 that they ever raise their young habitually in the high ,alpine or mountainous countries of the central or southern parts of ,europe4 ,these countries indeed in summer are very little fitted for their feeding2 they cannot bore where it is either dry or frosty1 and the glacier1 as well as the arid sand or rock1 are equally unfitted for their haunts4 ,they leave the north with the first frost1 and travel slowly south till they come to their accustomed winter quarters2 they do not usually make a quick voyage1 but fly from wood to wood1 reposing and feeding on their journey3 they prefer for their haunts1 woods near marshes or morasses2 they hide themselves under thick bushes in the day1 and fly abroad to feed in the dusk of the evening4 ,a laurel1 or a holly-bush1 is a favourite place for their repose3 the thick and varnished leaves of these trees prevents the radiation of heat from the soil1 and they are less affected by the refrigerating influence of a clear sky1 so that they afford a warm seat for the woodcock4 ,woodcocks usually begin to fly north on the first approach of spring1 and their flights are generally longer1 and their rests fewer1 at this season than in the autumn4 ,in the autumn they are driven from the north to the south by the want of food1 and they stop wherever they can find food4 ,in the spring1 there is the influence of another powerful instinct added to this1 the sexual feeling4 ,they migrate in pairs1 and pass as speedily as possible to the place where they are likely to find food1 and to raise their young1 and of which the old birds have already had the experience of former years4 ,scarcely any woodcocks winter in any part of ,germany4 ,in ,france there are a few found1 particularly in the southern provinces1 and in ,normandy and ,brittany4 ,the woods of ,england1 especially of the west and south1 contain always a certain quantity of woodcocks1 but there are far more in the moist soil and warmer climate of ,ireland2 but in the woods of southern ,italy and ,greece1 near marshes1 they are far more abundant2 and they extend in quantities over the ,greek ,islands1 ,asia ,minor1 and northern ,africa4 ,the snipe is one of the most generally distributed birds belonging to ,europe4 ,it feeds upon almost every kind of worm1 or larv1 and1 as ,i have said before1 its stomach sometimes contains seeds and rice2 it prefers a country cold in the summer to breed in2 but wherever there is much fluid water1 and great morasses1 this bird is almost certain to be found4 ,its nest is very inartificial1 its eggs large1 and the young ones soon become of an enormous size1 being1 often before they can fly1 larger than their parents4 ,two young ones are usually the number in a nest1 but ,i have seen three4 ,the old birds are exceedingly attached to their offspring1 and if any one approach near the nest they make a loud and drumming noise above the head1 as if to divert the attention of the intruder4 ,a few snipes always breed in the marshes of ,england and ,scotland1 but a far greater number retire for this purpose to the ,hebrides and the ,orkneys4 ,in the heather surrounding a small lake in the ,island of ,hoy1 in the ,orkneys1 ,i found in the month of ,august1 in #ahag1 the nests of ten or twelve couple of snipes4 ,i was grouse-shooting1 and my dog continually pointed them1 and1 as there were sometimes three young ones and two old ones in the nest1 the scent was very powerful4 ,from accident of the season these snipes were very late in being hatched1 for they usually fly before the middle of ,july2 but this year1 even as late as the #aeth of ,august1 there were many young snipes that had not yet their wing feathers4 ,snipes are usually fattest in frosty weather1 which1 ,i believe1 is owing to this1 that in such weather they haunt only warm springs1 where worms are abundant1 and they do not willingly quit these places1 so that they have plenty of nourishment and rest1 both circumstances favourable to fat4 ,in wet1 open weather they are often obliged to make long flights1 and their food is more distributed4 ,the jack-snipe feeds upon smaller insects than the snipe3 small white larv1 such as are found in black bogs1 are its favourite food1 but ,i have generally found seeds in its stomach1 once hemp-seeds1 and always gravel4 ,i know not where the jack-snipe breeds1 but ,i suspect far north4 ,i never saw their nest or young ones in ,germany1 ,france1 ,hungary1 ,illyria1 or the ,british ,islands4 ,the common snipe breeds in great quantities in the extensive marshes of ,hungary and ,illyria2 but ,i do not think the jack-snipe breeds there1 for1 even in ,july and ,august1 with the first very dry weather1 many snipes1 with ducks and teal1 come into the marshes in the south of ,illyria1 but the jack-snipe is always later in its passage1 later even than the double-snipe1 or the woodcock4 ,in #ahbh1 in the drains about ,laybach1 in ,illyria1 common snipes were seen in the middle of ,july4 ,the first double snipes appeared the first week in ,september1 when likewise woodcocks were seen2 the first jack-snipe did not appear till three weeks later than the #bith of ,september4 ,i was informed at ,copenhagen1 that the jack-snipe certainly breeds in ,zealand1 and ,i saw a nest with its eggs1 said to be from the island of ,sandholm1 opposite ,copenhagen1 and ,i have no doubt that this bird and the double-snipe sometimes make their nests in the marshes of ,holstein and ,hanover4 ,an excellent sportsman and good observer informs me1 that1 in the great royal decoy1 or marsh-preserve1 near ,hanover1 he has had ocular proofs of double-snipes being raised from the nest there2 but these birds require solitude and perfect quiet1 and1 as their food is peculiar1 they demand a great extent of marshy meadow4 ,their stomach is the thinnest amongst birds of the scolopax tribe1 and1 as ,i have said before1 their food seems to be entirely the larv of the tibul1 or congenerous flies4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,footnote #a3 ,from ,don ,juan1 ,canto ,,xii4 ,stanza ,,cvi4 8,and ,angling1 too1 that solitary vice1 ,whatever ,isaac ,walton sings or says3 ,the quaint old cruel coxcomb in his gullet ,should have a hook and a small trout to pull it40 ,footnote #b3 ,the ,friend1 page #cjc1 by ,s4 ,t4 ,coleridge4 ,footnote #c3 ,i have known a person who fished with him at ,merton1 in the ,wandle4 ,i hope this circumstance will be mentioned in the next edition of that most exquisite and touching ,life of our ,hero1 by the ,laureate1 an immortal monument raised by ,genius to ,valour4 ,footnote #d3 ,i have known the number of spines in the pectoral fins different1 in different varieties of trout2 ,i have seen them #ab1 #ac1 and #ad3 but the anal fin always1 ,i believe1 contains #aa spines1 the dorsal #ab or #ac1 the ventral #i1 and the caudal #ba4 ,the smallest brook trout1 when well and copiously fed1 will increase in stews to four or five pounds in weight1 but never attains the size or characters of lake trout4 ,mr4 ,tonkin of ,polgaron put some small river trout1 #b inches in length1 into a newly-made pond4 ,he took some of these out the second year1 and they were above #ab inches in length2 the third year1 he took one out that was #af inches2 and the fourth year1 one of #be inches3 this was in #agcd4 7,carew's ,survey of ,cornwall1 p4 #hg4 ,lord de ,dunstanville's edition47 ,footnote #e3 ,from the food1 and the remains of food1 found in the stomach of the double snipe1 ,i think ,i have ascertained1 that it requires a kind of worm1 which is not found in winter even in the temperate climes of ,europe2 and that it feeds differently from the snipe4 ,there are certainly none found after the end of ,october in either ,illyria or ,italy2 and ,i believe the same may be said of the end of ,may1 as to their summer migration1 or their breeding migration4 ,i have opened the stomachs of at least a dozen of these birds1 and their contents were always of the same kind1 long slender white hexapode larv1 or their skins1 of different sizes1 from that of the maggot of the horse-fly to one thrice as long4 ,i believe all these insects were the larv of tibul of different species4 ,in the stomach of the common snipe1 which is stronger and larger1 ,i have generally found earth-worms1 and often seeds1 and rice1 and gravel4 ,i conjecture1 that1 in the temperate climates of ,europe1 most of the aquatic larv on which the solitary snipe feeds are converted into flies in the late spring and autumn1 which probably limits the period of their migration4 ,in #ahbg the solitary snipe passed through ,italy and ,illyria between the #aeth of ,march and the #fth of ,may4 ,i heard of the first at ,ravenna the #agth of ,march1 and ,i shot two near ,laybach on the #eth of ,may2 but though ,i was continually searching for them for a fortnight after1 ,i found no more4 ,this year they returned from the north early2 and ,i saw some in the marshes of ,illyria on the #aith of ,august4 ,in #ahbh they were later in their vernal passage1 and likewise in their return4 ,i found them in ,illyria through ,may1 as late as the #agth1 on which day ,i shot three1 and they did not re-appear till the beginning of ,september4 ,i found one on the #c;d1 and three on the #dth1 and twenty were shot on the #gth4 ,as this bird is rarely seen in ,england1 ,i shall mention its peculiarities4 ,it is more than one-third larger than the common snipe1 and has a breast spotted with gray feathers4 ,its beak is shorter than that of the snipe2 the old ones have feathers almost pure white in their tails1 and as they spread them when rising1 they are easily distinguished by this character from the snipe2 but in the young birds that ,i have seen in ,august1 this character was wanting4 ,they are usually very fat1 particularly the young birds2 their weight varies from six to nine ounces2 but even the fattest ones are rarely above seven ounces and a half2 and though ,i have killed more than a hundred1 ,i can speak of half-a-dozen only that weighed above eight ounces and a half4 ,in spring they are usually found in pairs1 the female being rather larger1 and having a paler breast3 in autumn they are solitary4 ,they prefer wet meadows to bogs1 or large1 deep marshes4 ,they usually lie closer than snipes1 and seldom fly far4 ,their flight is straight1 like that of a jack snipe1 and they are easily shot4 ,attention to the migrations of birds might1 ,i have no doubt1 lead to important indications respecting the character and changes of the weather and the seasons4 ,the late migration of the solitary snipe this year 7#ahbh7 seems to have been an indication of a wet and backward summer in the north of ,europe4 ,but to form opinions upon facts of this kind requires much knowledge and caution4 ,the perfection of the larv of the tibul on which this snipe feeds depends upon a number of circumstances3 the temperature of the last year2 the period when the eggs were laid2 the heat of the water when they were deposited1 and the quantity of rain since4 ,the migration of the solitary snipe is only one link in a great chain of causes and effects1 all connected1 and extending from ,africa to ,siberia4 ,footnote #f3 ,lax is the ,teutonic word for salmon4 ,footnote #g3 ,i may mention one remarkable instance as an exception1 which has recently occurred to me1 the #bast of ,may1 #ahbh4 ,i was fishing in the ,save1 between ,wochain and ,veldes1 in some deep1 clear1 bright1 green pools4 ,i caught five or six grayling between #ae and #ag inches long1 that had all leeches near the tail2 they were beautifully coloured1 and had probably got these parasitic animals after their spawning1 when they reposed4 ,of course this was the time when they were in their worst season1 as they were just beginning to recover from the work of generation4 ,at this time they often rose at and refused the fly1 but there were as yet no large flies on the water4 ,the leech was a small greenish dark worm1 about an inch or an inch and a half long1 like a common leech in form and colour4 ,footnote #h3 ,slmling of the ,germans4 ,footnote #i3 ,benjamin ,west4 ,transcriber's ,notes ,some presumed printer's errors have been corrected1 including normalizing punctuation and capitalization4 ,inconsistent spelling and hyphenation has been left as printed unless specifically noted below4 ,in the original book1 some fractions were printed in the form #a #a-b and others in the form #a4 ,these have all been normalized to the form #a4 ,an incorrect page number in the ,table of ,contents has been changed4 ,further corrections are listed below4 p4 x hy - by p4 #cc he ,may-fly - the ,may-fly p4 #ce this river it - this river is p4 #dc knats - gnats p4 #fb autumual - autumnal p4 #fc antumn - autumn p4 #fc tepemrature - temperature p4 #fe ,wandel - ,wandle p4 #hj as it mere - as it were p4 #ace lttle - little p4 #acg thar - that p4 #adg ,kilmornack - ,kilmarnock p4 #aej youself - yourself p4 #afa ,phyicus - ,physicus p4 #afb orign - origin p4 #afh eggs cannot produced - eggs cannot produce p4 #agc ,i thing - ,i think p4 #ahe porends - portends p4 #ahg sea-guls - sea-gulls p4 #aib comfort's - comforts p4 #aic seemes - seems p4 #aif graying - grayling p4 #aig ,noric - ,nordic p4 #bah abtruse - abstruse p4 #bbf the all of water - the fall of water p4 #bca accquainted - acquainted p4 #bca were the eggs are hatched - where the eggs are hatched p4 #bcb purpose of of - purpose of p4 #bec pursue their pray - pursue their prey p4 #bec ,kliengraben - ,kleingraben p4 #beh carniverous - carnivorous p4 #bfj ,daunbe - ,danube p4 #bfb pply - apply p4 #bfg immagined - imagined p4 #bgb flyfishing - fly-fishing p4 #bgi coarest - coarsest p4 #bhf vermillion - vermilion p4 #bic morse - moose p4 #cjc picturesqe - picturesque p4 #cjg consitutional - constitutional p4 #caj wood cocks - woodcocks