CH. VIII.] APPEARANCE OF FISH IN WATER. Ill 



firmed by finding the parent fish at home, taking 

 charge of her eggs, which were deposited under it. 



It is difficult for any one to judge accurately of 

 the weight of fish in water, but persons unaccus- 

 tomed to see them there are liable to be greatly 

 deceived with regard to them, as on shallows they 

 are apt to appear larger than they really are; in 

 deep water, on the other hand, generally smaller. 



I was considerably taken in by a mistake of 

 this kind last spring (1858) whilst fishing a part 

 of the Stour, below Iford, where I knew there was 

 a very large Jack, having seen another of about 

 two pounds, which had been picked up dead there, 

 marked with the scores of enormous teeth, shew- 

 ing that he must have been gripped by a monster. 

 Opposite to me was a high bank, from which a 

 man, who happened to be standing there, could 

 see all that was going on below him, whilst I, from 

 my lower position, nearly on a level with the water, 

 and the direction of the sun, which was in my face, 

 could see comparatively nothing, not even where 

 the beds of weeds lay, at any distance from the 

 bank from which I was fishing. All of a sudden 

 he called out, "There are two fish at the tail of 

 they weeds there, and one of em's a tremendious 

 beost." I asked him whereabouts they were, and 



