252 REMINISCENCES OF A HUNTSMAN. 



witliout a weed, was gliding rapidly over a firm marl 

 or clay bottom, perhaps from five to six feet in depth, 

 and in the centre of the stream were, not two eels, 

 but two large lampreys, very busily employed, as it 

 seemed to me, in boring a hole in the firm bed of the 

 river. There was no wind, and the sun was cloudless, 

 so that I could see all they did ; and as such a sight 

 never chanced to me before, and, perhaps, very sel- 

 dom to any one, instead of trying to catch the fish, 

 for a time I observed their motions. One fixed its 

 mouth to the clay, and having twisted round and 

 round gimlet fashion, till it had got its mouth filled 

 with a great pellet, then fell back for about a yard 

 down stream and deposited its load, returning to do 

 the same thing again, the other fish taking turn and 

 turn about and conveying the clay to the same spot. 

 Having watched the operation, and made up my 

 mind that they were boring a hole either to live in 

 or to deposit their spawn, I took off my perch hook 

 and put on a set of snap hooks for pike, attaching a 

 bullet to the line about a foot or more from the hooks 

 to sink them. Casting the books up stream, to allow 

 for the strength of the current, and far enough to 

 pitch the bullet well beyond the spot where the fish 

 were at work, the instant the bullet, which was visible, 

 was in a line with the fish, I struck with a down- 

 Avard twist of the wrist ; the second throw hooked the 

 largest lamprey of the two, and I landed it; the 

 other, not appearing to miss its consort, returned to 

 work as busily as ever, and in three throws more I 

 had the brace. The two weighed something under 

 four pounds. There is very good sport to be had 

 also in Christchurch harbour at low tides, on a 

 still and sunny day, with the flounder spear. I 



