THE HAMPSHIRE STREAMS iii 



delighted with Mr. Chalkley's museum at Win- 

 chester. It contains specimens of the spotted 

 crake {Crex porzana) obtained at Chilbolton on 

 the Test, the Httle gull {Lariis miimtus) obtained 

 on the lower Itchen, together with a peregrine 

 falcon {Falco peregrimis), and one or two bitterns 

 {Botmirus stellaris) coming from the banks of the 

 same stream. 



The Hamblc's course as a trout stream is a very 

 short one. It rises at Bishops Waltham and runs to 

 Botlcy, a distance of about four miles. The The 

 tide comes up to Botley Mills where the Hamble 

 Hamble is seen " swelling from an inconsiderable 

 stream to a broad estuary." This estuary, described 

 by an old writer as " a handsome proper flood," is 

 some nine miles long, and at one time a large 

 number of sea trout used to come up it, some of 

 them running to 4 lbs. and 5 lbs. The number of 

 these fish visiting the Hamble is now sadly re- 

 duced, as they have been caught with a small mesh 

 net by the villagers, so there are but few sea trout 

 left in the Hamble, and they do not as a rule run 

 large. The stream, however, contains a fair head 

 of trout which run rather small for a Hampshire 

 water, seldom attaining anything like 2 lbs. in 

 weight. 



The May-fly comes on in early June, and that 

 fly and the duns and the alder are among the 

 best lures. The wet and dry fly may both be 

 practised. The Hamble is clear and rapid, except 

 where the water is dammed up to make a mill 

 head, and there it is clear and slow-flowing. It 

 contains a few pike and roach, and in the tidal 

 water, in addition to sea trout there are some 

 mullet and bass. The stream flows through a 



