8o Rambles with a Fishing-Rod. 



river is alive with fish. If he is in a hurry, or 

 cross, he will probably forget if he ever heard 

 of any one taking a trout in the waters in 

 question, and he will say, in a downright 

 fashion, that no fish inhabit the stream. How- 

 ever, we followed the river another mile, as far 

 as the hamlet of St Martin de la Lieu. We 

 could admire the fertile valleys, covered with 

 orchards in the pure beauty of their white 

 blossoms, even if our feelings as anglers suffered 

 disappointment. True, it had rained heavily 

 the previous day, but it is doubtful if at any time 

 the Toucques can be of much good as a fishing 

 stream. The rivers more to the north, in the 

 department of the Eure, as we afterwards found, 

 were clear enough. At any rate, as it is nat- 

 ural to have heavy rains in the spring-time, 

 and as the ten days' traveller cannot afford to 

 wait three or four days for a stream to fine 

 down, I put a mark against the Toucques, as 

 one not to be thought of by the angler travel- 

 ling in the spring. So much for essay number 

 one. We had seen much charming country 

 a richer and a sunnier England but trout 

 there were none brought home that night. The 

 next day, Caen being one of the places to be 



