1 1 4 Summer 



the float. In the course of half-an-hour or so a bob- 

 bing up and down of the cork would give warning 

 that something was at the bait. My plan was to give 

 the creature plenty of time. If it continued to tug for 

 five minutes or so I would pull it out, generally to find 

 that it was an abominable eel. Sometimes, however, 

 the appearance of a perch would diversify the pro- 

 ceedings and afford me immense gratification. I was 

 rendered exceedingly proud once by getting no fewer 

 than four of these to my mind beautiful fish in 

 little more than as many minutes. 



I was no angler, and I took no delight in angling, 

 but as I sat in the shade of the willow-tree it was 

 amusing to watch the water-rats playing among the 

 branches, or the little rabbits popping in and out of 

 their holes on the banks, or a water-hen feeding, its 

 brood of young swimming after it like so many tiny 

 balls of black wool. One day, while thus watching 

 and musing my eye fell upon the water, and what was 

 my delight and surprise to notice a great fine-looking 

 fish floating close to the weeds. He might be perhaps 

 four feet below the surface of the clear water, and 

 never moved, except almost automatically to wave his 

 fin or slightly bend his tail. It has always been a 

 great pleasure to me to see closely for the first time 

 any free healthy wild creature, and I might have 

 watched there long enough but that I was desirous of 

 knowing its name. I therefore signalled to the game- 



