192 .THE PERCH. 



tearing struggle of a quarter of an hour, my fish 

 was gaffed and knocked on the head, a handsome 

 pike of 1 8 Ibs., thick-set and fat, and rotund as a 

 jolly well-fed monk of the olden time. 



The lake, being on the higher portion of the park, 

 has no streams running into it bringing in fish- 

 food, but is kept full by springs which seem never 

 to fail ; in fact, there is an overflow at the pen- 

 stock, the water discharging into the river in the 

 valley. Carp abound in the lake, and on the 

 smaller ones the pond roach and white bream 

 (Abramis blicca) ; pike grow large and lusty, finding 

 plenteous food ; while the young of the wild-ducks 

 and coots, which nest and breed on the island and 

 in the sedges, pay constant tribute to the water- 

 wolves. 



So we finished a day of sport with true con- 

 tentment, as all anglers should ; and as our 

 friend drove us towards his hospitable home we 

 resolved to fish next day the waters in the valley. 

 The morning broke clear and rather frosty, with 

 wind enough to ruffle the water, and make an 

 angler happy with anticipations of sport. By nine 

 o'clock we were driving across Bramshill Common, 

 through an expanse of brown moor and heather, 

 stretching away for many a mile towards Windsor 

 Forest. Below us in the valley flowed the two 

 streams, Blackwater and Whitewater, both adding 

 volume to the Loddon. Strathfieldsaye Park (the 

 Duke of Wellington's) was within three miles ; its 

 waters, once celebrated for enormous pike and 

 perch, were drained some years ago, and afterwards 

 made into a trout preserve. Turning along a cart- 

 track, down a deep slope, where the ruts in the 

 loose gravel and peat-mould nearly brought the 



