122 ON SURREY HILLS. 



with them. The trees have been got out and cut up, 

 but the holes made by their fall have, through suc- 

 cessive floods, widened into bays ; whilst the vegeta- 

 tion, ever ready to annex fresh soil, flourishes luxuri- 

 antly. The roots bind the light soil firmly on to the 

 banks that had fallen to the water. 



From the meadow you walk down to the river 

 through a thicket of rush, flag, water -docks, and 

 stunted willow. The bottom is sandy here. Where 

 the water has been turned from its course by the 

 landslips, it has cut narrow channels, through which it 

 runs with considerable force into the large pools, bring- 

 ing a continual supply of fresh food for the fish. A 

 fine spot is this for perch : they are good ones when 

 you can manage to catch them, but from the boun- 

 tiful supply of food that comes to their haunts, they 

 are very capricious at times in taking the bait, let it 

 be as choice as it may. Pike are also found here, but 

 of no great size, from two to three pounds weight 

 mostly. He prefers to make his home in those parts 

 of the water where the lilies and the reeds grow 

 thickly. 



The sun is low down, and over the river and mead- 

 ows the swallows are wheeling, for insect life is in full 



