Pond Life 
find out what they are, you feel inclined 
to think you have found some rare bird’s 
nest—that is, when they are empty, as 
I have seen them, If they had been 
packed full with a young family of water- 
voles, I think there would be no doubt 
as to whom the nest belonged. The 
stately wood-pigeon will walk down the 
bank, stooping to drink with great 
deliberation, and then fly off with a 
noisy rattle of its wings ; and as you sit 
watching your float many other glimpses 
of wild life will be enjoyed, so that even 
if you catch nothing the day will still 
have been spent well and pleasantly 
Waterside and pondside vegetation 
is always more interesting than that in 
drier places. ‘The reeds, and bulrushes, 
and sedges have a peculiar beauty of 
their own, whether in the summer, when 
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