i2 4 FISHERMAN'S LUCK 



the fishing chapters, from which I propose to 

 appropriate a few choice bits in which I think 

 anglers would be interested. 



When I was fishing on Lake Vyrnwy a few 

 years ago, I had a little adventure with Madame 

 Sandpiper and her little brood, which I gave an 

 account of in By Meadow and Stream. I was, 

 on that account, particularly interested in reading 

 Mr. Van Dyke's adventure with a Canadian sand- 

 piper. I must quote his description of it in full 



" I was walking up the Ristigouche, from Camp 

 Harmony to Mowett's Rock, where my canoe was 

 waiting for me, to fish for salmon. As I stepped 

 out from a thicket on to the shingly bank of the 

 river a spotted sandpiper teetered along before me, 

 followed by three young ones. Frightened at first, 

 she flew out a few feet over the water ; but the 

 piperlings could not fly, having no feathers, and 

 they crept under a crooked log. I rolled the log 

 over very gently, and took one of the cowering 

 creatures into my hand a tiny palpitating scrap 

 of life, covered with soft grey down, and peeping 

 shrilly like a Liliputian chicken. And now the 

 mother was transformed. Her face was changed 

 into fury. She was a bully, a fighter, an amazon 

 in feathers. She flew at me with loud cries, 

 dashing herself almost into my face ; I was a 

 tyrant, a robber, a kidnapper, and she called 

 heaven to witness that she would never give up her 

 offspring without a struggle. Then she changed 

 her tactics, and appealed to my baser passions. 



