A Hertfordshire Valley. 1 1 



hours. It was upon the Colne at Denham, midway between 

 Rickmansworth and Uxbridge, that his four dramatis per- 

 sona gave up twenty-four hours to the delight of an angler's 

 May-day. In its essential points the description written in 

 1810 serves now : 



" This is really a very charming villa scene, I might almost 

 say a pastoral scene. The meadows have the verdure 

 which even the Londoners enjoy as a peculiar feature of the 

 English landscape. The river is clear and has all the 

 beauties of a trout stream of the larger size there rapid 

 and here still, and there tumbling in foam and fury over 

 abrupt dams upon clean gravel, as if pursuing a natural 

 course and that island with its poplars and willows, and 

 the flies making it their summer paradise, and its little 

 fishing-house are all in character; and if not extremely 

 picturesque it is at least a very pleasant scene, from its verdure 

 and pure waters, for the lovers of an innocent amusement." 



The record of the actual sport obtained by this quartette 

 is very tantalizing to readers in these later times. Coming 

 upon the fish when they had forsaken cad and minnow for 

 the dainty drake or luscious alder fly, they killed and slew. 

 Fish under two pounds were returned to the water, and 

 monsters up to seven pounds were either lost or bagged. 

 Alas, for the days that are gone ! Occasional large fish are 

 even now killed by minnow, and more rarely by fly, but the 

 Colne trout, though not extinct, is only represented by 

 patriarchal specimens, which have probably wandered from 

 tributaries to take up positions which they hold until 

 poached or taken by legitimate captors. During the pike 

 season a large trout, or perhaps a couple, may be taken 

 with live bait, or a brace in the early spring may fall to the 

 share of a skilful minnow fisher ; but the glory of the Colne 

 as a trout stream has long since departed, 



