Notes and Sport of a Dry -Fly Purist. 149 



clothes, to dance round " Jack in the green " with 

 their wives and sweethearts, and, after each hout had 

 ended, one of the younger maids, in short white 

 muslin skirts, almost transformed to the appearance 

 of a fairy, would hold out a long-handled, hright 

 brass ladle to the observant throng around, to 

 receive their pecuniary offerings. The more grace- 

 ful and refined maypole dances and out-of-door 

 amusements were three or four years ago revived at 

 Itchen Abbas and a few other places in England 

 with befitting ceremony. 



These reflections were disturbed by the sudden 

 uprising near me of four wild ducks from the sedge, 

 which I watched as they flew in single file, and 

 high up were lost to sight. Then a pair of lapwings 

 (Vanellus crisfatus), about the size of small pigeons, 

 flew up from the grass, and uttering plaintive cries ; 

 one separated from the other and made a wide, 

 irregular circuit, while the other at first flew in 

 short turns about my head, afterwards settling on 

 the bank about thirty yards in front of me ; ever 

 and anon as I slowly moved forward, so did the 

 bird most likely to lure me from its nest. At 

 intervals both would come near, and then repeat 

 these manoeuvres. Considering it was May Day, 

 the riverside had a very winterly appearance, and 

 there were few flowers in the meadows except 

 daisies and marsh marigolds ; the trees were as yet 



