30 TREATISE ON FLY-FISHING. 



that fortunately for the agriculturists, make them 

 their prey. 



The reason of the migration of sea-gulls to the- 

 land is their security of finding food. They may 

 be observed, at this time, feeding greedily on the 

 earth worms and larvae, driven out of the ground 

 by severe floods, and the fish, on which they prey 

 in fine weather in the sea, leave the surface when 

 storms prevail, and go deeper. 



The different tribes of the wading birds always 

 migrate, when rain is about to take place. The 

 vulture, upon the same principle, follows armies, 

 and there is little doubt, that the augury of the 

 ancients was a good deal founded upon the ob- 

 servation of the instinct of birds. There are 

 many superstitions of the vulgar, owing to the 

 same cause. 



For anglers, in spring, it is always unlucky 

 to see single magpies, but two may be always 

 regarded as a favorable omen; and the reason 

 is,, that in cold and stormy weather one magpie- 



