HAUNTS OF FISHES. 155 



" Haply o'er the shaded sun 

 Passes a cloud ;" 



and avail ourselves of sunshine for gossip and 

 instruction, or for eating our " snack," or repairing 

 damages. 



Herb. Well, then, here is a fine shady syca- 

 more, where the ground seems tolerably dry ; let 

 us sit down till the cloud comes ; and, tell me, is 

 it with salmon as with trout, that they take up 

 a certain station in the river, and there remain 

 during the season as in their castle? 



Theoph. Most assuredly not. A trout, as you 

 observe, always affects a given haunt. During 

 summer he will lie by a particular weed or stone, 

 and is always to be found there ; or, during 

 winter, he lies in a particular hole : and if driven 

 away, is almost sure to return after a while : you 

 may as well try to induce a minister to vacate 

 office, as attempt to rout him out. In February, 

 1839, I was trolling with a large gudgeon and 

 gorge -hook for pike, in the waters of an excellent 

 friend of mine, near Uxbridge, and having a 

 "run," gave full fifteen minutes' law for digestion ; 

 then I struck ; and, after a vigorous tussle, found 

 I had a goodly trout, of about four or five pounds. 

 It being out of season, I determined to release 

 him : which, as he had not gorged the hook, I 

 could safely do. The keeper carried him down- 

 stream to below a considerable fall, (about a 



