152 



THE ANGLER'S SOUVENIR. 



enough for that, and he is too often led aside by 

 some extraneous object. His float may be carried 

 down, and the fish may entangle his line in the 

 weeds, the while he is unconsciously peering at the 

 petals of a flower through a magnifying-glass ; his 

 rod may lie on the bank of a stream while the 

 minnows are nibbling the feather off his flies; and 

 he will be absorbed in the study of gravel sections 

 or rock strata laid bare by the winter torrents. 

 When he returns to angling consciousness, he will 

 extricate his line from the weeds, or put fresh flies 

 upon his line, with a quiet smile, and without the 

 least impatience. 



While, however, his fishing excursions bear but 

 little immediate fruit, the ultimate result of them 

 and his quiet meditations are many steps in the 

 world of science, and clear, intelligent articles in 

 the Quarterlies, written in the study in which there 

 is such a collection of somewhat old-fashioned 

 fishing-tackle. 



The laurel avenue is his favourite walk in leisure 

 hours. At his heels sedately trots an old retriever ; 

 the sparrows scarce trouble themselves to get out 

 of his way ; and a white cat springs upon his broad 

 shoulders from an overhanging bough, and sits 

 there in triumph as he continues his walk. 



" God never did make a more calm, quiet, inno- 

 cent recreation than angling," and surely he never 

 made a better angler and man than he who now 

 obeys the sound of the breakfast-bell. 



