Of all the forms of food partaken of by the trout the Crustacea are the best. When I say the best, I mean that trout fed upon Crustacea seem to thrive better than trout fed on anything else. In this case, at any rate, the most wholesome form of food seems also to be the most welcome; for though I have tried feeding trout with almost every form of food, I have never come across another form which they have taken with anything approaching the voracity with which they take Crustacea.

Fortunately, I can bring forward a case to show how trout thrive when fed upon Crustacea. In April, 1897, Colonel Walker presented some trout to the Brighton Aquarium. I myself caught some of these trout, which were put in a rearing pond to await their being transferred by rail to the Aquarium. As I also assisted in the operation of taking them from the rearing pond and putting them into the tanks in which they were to travel, I can vouch for their size at that time. They were all in rather bad condition, and, even had the largest been in good condition, it could not have weighed more than three-quarters of a pound. These trout have been fed entirely on Crustacea since they were introduced into the tank they now occupy; and at the time I am writing (January, 1898), the largest of these trout must be quite two pounds or more in weight, and there are others which are nearly as large.

The voracity with which these trout seize the Sandhoppers and Shrimps upon which they are fed is a perfect revelation. I have seen them leap out of the water to catch the Shrimps thrown to them before they reached the surface.

I have also found that young trout in rearing ponds take Fresh-water Shrimps with the same greediness; and on considering these facts, I am surprised that there have not been more attempts to imitate the Fresh-water Shrimp.

The Gammarus pulex may be found in almost all streams, especially where there is much vegetation. An illustration of it is given on Plate I. I have however found them abundant in streams where there were no weeds. They hide under stones at the bottom of the water and among the weeds, especially among watercress and starwort. Though they will live in still water, I have found them most numerous in streams; and notwithstanding that they are generally supposed only to inhabit somewhat sluggish streams, I have found them in fairly rapid ones, with a stony bed. The Shrimp is very prolific, and if protected increase very rapidly; thus it is a most excellent plan for those who breed and rear trout to cultivate them, as they are one of the most valuable forms of food.

These animals are very similar in shape to their well-known relation, the common Sandhopper. In colour they vary very much according to the water they inhabit. I have seen them a pale yellow colour in some streams, while in others they are almost black. The commonest colour is however a reddish-yellow.

I find that the general idea is that these Shrimps travel through the water in quick leaps by bending up their bodies and straightening them out again. I have however never seen them do this, though I have kept them in an aquarium and watched them very carefully.

What I have seen is, that they use their legs to swim with, moving them as though they were walking very rapidly. They cannot, however, walk when they are taken out of the water, but lie perfectly helpless upon their sides. In a stream where the Fresh-water Shrimp swims, it seems unable to progress up stream, or at any rate, if it does it moves very slowly; when they wish to go up stream they crawl along the bottom. They can, however, as a rule, maintain the same position against the current.

I have found the following to be the best way to dress an imitation of the Fresh-water Shrimp:—Choose a light ginger tackle, cut the tip off, and tie the tip on a hook (No. 1 or 2, new size), so that the fibres will project for between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch at the tail. Tie in a thin strip of india-rubber and a piece of narrow silver tinsel.

The strip of india-rubber must be taken from a piece of the natural rubber, and cut so thin that when stretched it is transparent. When stretched it should be quite a sixteenth of an inch broad. A little piece of india-rubber tapered at each end and half as long as the shank of the hook, must now be fastened to the shank near the head of the fly, placing the piece of rubber on the shank and tying it in with the tying silk. Now bring back the tying silk to the tail of the fly, and spin the wool, of which the body is to be made, on to the tying silk and wind it on the shank. The wool may vary in colour, according to the colour of the Shrimps in the stream to be fished, from light yellow or reddish-yellow to a very dark brown. When the wool body is finished off, wind on the strip of india-rubber, so that the edge of one lap meets the edge of the other, thus covering the body entirely; tie in and cut off the remainder, and then rib the body with the tinsel.

In putting on the hackle, which is light ginger, it is necessary that some of the fibres should be made to project forwards, so the tying silk should be finished off behind these. When the fly is complete it should appear as shown in illustrations of imitation on Plate III.

In fishing this fly must be allowed to sink to mid-water, and then allowed to travel across and down stream in short stages; but should not be drawn towards the fisherman in any marked way, or it will not represent the movements of the natural Shrimp.

Whether any particular stream is inhabited by these Crustacea may be easily discovered. If the stream has a stony bottom they will be found under almost every large stone which is turned over. If, however, there be dÉbris or mud at the bottom, they may easily be captured with a stout gauze net, mounted on a strong ring and handle. If this net be passed along the bottom, and some of the weeds and dÉbris brought up, the Shrimps will be found among the contents of the net. I should strongly advise any one possessing a trout stream which is not inhabited by the Fresh-water Shrimp to introduce them, for they are, as I have pointed out, one of the very best forms of trout food. I have been very successful with the imitation shrimp on waters which contain the fresh-water shrimp.

This imitation has also met with general condemnation of an even more decided character than that of the Corixa. In neither case, however, have any reasons been given for the condemnation.

As undoubtedly some of the hackle flies used wet must be very like a shrimp, and if the imitation shrimp is condemned, so also should these hackle flies.

LarvÆ of Water-Insects, which have the power of swimming in the water, are best imitated by making a very taper body, with a large head. They are many of them small, and these should not be tied on a hook larger than No. 1, new size. There are, however, many larvÆ which are larger, but not many of these swim about much in the water. Some are brownish-yellow, and some nearly black. Some should have a tail made of two or three strands of hackle the same colour as the body. Some have appendages on the sides of the body, and in the imitations of these the hackle must be tied in at the tail, carried up over the body, and a couple of turns given at the shoulder. They may be made in various shades, from brownish-yellow to black. I have not yet had time to work out any proper scheme of imitations, but only write this as a suggestion.