22 SOUTH COUNTRY TROUT STREAMS 



sport, of which I had had none, and for luncheon, 

 which I had quite forgotten to bring with me from 

 town. The miller soon found out how matters 

 stood and, disappearing for a little time into his 

 floury regions, brought out some home made bread 

 and cheese. A few minutes later he good-naturedly- 

 set his wheel going, and before long, there being a 

 nice hatch of olive dun, I was able to repay my 

 friend w^ith a brace of fine trout. That was years 

 ago, but whenever I find my way up to the mill the 

 man comes forth from among his bulging sacks to 

 watch the fun, and sometimes he will point me 

 out a likely trout. It is certainly the spot of all 

 spots to lunch at. About the race there always 

 seems a chance of finding a good trout stirring 

 even during the least likely part of the day, and 

 there are often certain back streams and ditches 

 which contain a particularly large fish in perfect 

 condition. And then it is pleasant to sit down in 

 the grass and watch 



" The sleepy pool above the dam, 

 The pool beneath it never still, 

 The meal-sacks on the whitened floor, 

 The dark round of the dripping wheel." 



On the whole the small mill of the southern 

 stream has its compensations for the angler, though 

 it does sometimes interfere badly with the filling of 

 his creel. Moreover, it is rarely an eyesore in the 

 landscape. 



Few questions in connection with the present 

 condition and the future prospects of our southern 

 trout streams are of more consequence than that 

 of the scarcity of natural fiy in many waters. The 

 complaint of scarcity of fly is a common one in 

 many parts of the country, and one frequently 



