72 LINES IN PLEASANT PLACES 



address, " Miss Mitford, Three Mile Cross, Reading, 

 Berks." Soon after leaving Swallowfield, the Loddon, 

 passing Arborfield Hurst and Twyford, yields up its life 

 to the Thames by way of a modest delta. 



Are there anywhere in England larger chub than 

 those of the Loddon ? It is not to be supposed that 

 the alders extend their fattening influence to the fish as 

 well as to the plants ; but its existence in bush form, 

 and in the serried ranks to which I have above referred, 

 undoubtedly favours the long life of this shy fish. He 

 lies under its overhanging boughs out of the way of 

 even the most daring long corker, and from the leaved 

 during the hot summer days drop unceasing relays of 

 luscious insect food. The Loddon chub are neverthe- 

 less extremely voracious at odd times. Pike fishermen 

 often get them with both live and dead bait, and I 

 myself in the unregenerate days of trolling took a big 

 one with gorge bait. An honest-minded chub may 

 anywhere be expected to be led astray by a prettily- 

 vestured minnow, and there is no disgrace attaching to 

 its character if it allows itself to be seduced by a well- 

 spun gudgeon ; but to tackle a 4-07. dead roach, and 

 be ignominiously finished off by a coarse gorge hook, is 

 not exactly what one looks for. Yet this frequently 

 occurred on the Loddon. 



I rather suspect I had an experience in this direction. 

 A kind friend had invited me to spend a day on the 

 Loddon, not very far from that same Swallowfield of 

 which I have been sentimentalising. We drove in the 

 fresh autumn morning along the charming country 

 road, inhaling the balm of the pines and watching the 

 graceful squirrels at their after-breakfast antics in the 

 oaks. And we congratulated ourselves upon the pros- 

 pect. There was a little rime on the grass, for I had 

 left town by gaslight, but all other conditions were as 



