THE ANGLER'S SOUVENIR. 



and flita about with a keen eye for things eatable, 

 and heedless of the showers of wet she shakes upon 

 her little brown back from the purple-streaked 

 blackberry leaves. 



And now we turn again towards the river, and, 

 lo ! the mists are fleeing hither and thither in dire 

 confusion, and melting away before the brightness 

 of the sun. The dewdropa look no longer cold and 

 cheerless, but are sparkling diamond-like under the 

 fairy wand of a sunbeam. 



Now, let us delay no longer, but to our fishing ! 

 so, with well-waterproofed boots on our feet, we 

 stride heedlessly through the soaked grass and 

 strike the river at a favourite spot. And while we 

 rig up our tackle leisurely, for it is yet full early 

 to begin let us discourse some little of the fish we 

 are to catch, in the manner of our honoured master 

 the rambler by the Lea, and, we hope, to the edifi- 

 cation of his younger disciples. 



First, let us give our quarry the honour of his 

 proper name, for in this eastern county, where the 

 rustics' wits are as slow as their rivers, the roach 

 suffers the indignity of being classed with the bream, 

 and called by the family name of " white fish." 



Cyprinus rutilus, then, is its scientific name, but 

 we wonder how that fine fat fellow which has just 

 risen to the surface and smelt at a tiny leaflet to 

 see if it were digestible, would feel if he knew that 

 he bore such a grand name ah, Mr. C. Rutilus, 

 we will show you such a dainty morsel by-and-by. 



