60 THE HIVE OF THE BEE-HUNTER. 



he opened his mouth and gave his breath to the sur- 

 rounding element. 



Look ahead of you : vrhen did you ever see an Ar- 

 chimedean screw more beautifully marked out than by 

 that group of bubbles ? They are very light, indeed, 

 and seem thus gracefully to struggle into the upper 

 world ; they denote the eager workings of some terrapin 

 in the soft mud at the bottom of the lake. In the shade 

 of yonder lusty oak, you will perceive what arrow-fisher- 

 men call a "feed;" you see that the bubbles are entirely 

 unlike any we have noticed ; they come rushing upwards 

 swiftly, like handfuls of silver shot. They are lively 

 and animated to look at, and are caused by the fish be- 

 low, as they, around the root of that very oak, search 

 for insects for food. To those bubbles the arrow-fisher- 

 man hastens for game ; they are made by the fish that 

 he calls legitimate for his sport. 



In early spring the fish are discovered, not only by 

 the bubbles they make, but by various sounds, uttered 

 while searching for food. These sounds are familiar- 

 ized, and betray the kind of fish that make them. In 

 late spring, from the middle of May to June, the fish 

 come near the surface of the water, and expose their 

 mouths to the air, keeping up, at the same time, a con- 

 stant motion with it, called "piping." 



Fish thus exposed are in groups, and are called a 

 " float." The cause of this phenomenon is hard to ex- 

 plain, all reasons given being unsatisfactory. As it is 



