LEAFLESS WOODS 195 



in the most adroit manner. They were not 

 doomed to constantly tap-tap-tap at the tree- 

 trunks ; in the fall the greater portion of their 

 food is on the ground, and they naturally seek 

 for it there. 



If you follow the downward paths through 

 the woods, when you get clear of these, you 

 will surely come to water, either in the form 

 of brook or pond. As some of the ponds 

 have long since been abandoned, being no 

 longer used for the purpose for which they 

 were originally intended, they are now very 

 much overgrown with aquatic tangle-reeds, 

 sedges, iris, meadow-sweet, and so forth. 

 Still the main channel runs through unchoked, 

 and that is deep and still. When the pond 

 gets too full, the water simply flows over the 

 rotting old sluice gates, that are never drawn 

 up now ; in fact, I very much question if they 

 could be without pulling them all to pieces. 



When the growth I have mentioned dips 

 down, year after year, it forms ultimately a 

 thick floating platform that you can stand on 

 with perfect safety, if you do not jump about. 

 Outside this, very fair pike are to be found; 

 not large, only from four to five pounds in 

 weight, but nice, handsome fish. 



