Pond Life 
pondside creatures get used to your pre- 
sence, and don’t take the slightest notice 
of you. The swallows skim to and fro 
in their search for the minute flies and 
midges which are always so much more 
abundant over water. The moorhens 
and coots come out of their hiding-places 
among the reeds, and the kingfisher 
darts like a living jewel over the water, 
or sits motionless on some stump or 
overhanging branch. They have before 
now been known to perch on a fisher- 
man’s rod, while he sat patiently waiting 
for a bite. Then the water-rats come 
out of their holes under the banks to 
nibble the water-crowfoot and other 
water-plants, or to sit up and wash their 
faces. Pretty little creatures they are, 
very much more so than the common 
rats, which often take to the water-side 
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