288 Wild Life in a Southern County 



appearance of scraping the bottom with his feet, as if to 

 find food. Blackbirds are especially fond of this spot, 

 and may be seen coming to it from the adjacent hedges. 

 They like water, and frequently feed near it ; a blackbird 

 may often be found under the great hawthorn bushes which 

 overhang the stream. Hawks may be seen occasionally 

 following the course of the brook or perched on the trees 

 that grow near ; they are doubtless aware of the partiality 

 for water shown by so many birds. 



The fish have their own favourite places as the birds in 

 the hedge, and after leaving the hatch there are none for 

 some distance. Then the brook suddenly curves and forms 

 a loop returning almost upon itself something like the letter 

 1. The tongue of land thus enclosed is broad at the top, and 

 but two or three yards across at the bottom. There the 

 current on either side is for ever endeavouring to eat away 

 the narrow neck, and forms two deep pools. Some few 

 piles have been driven in on one side to check the process of 

 disintegration, and a willow-tree overhangs the pool there. 

 By lying on the grass and quietly looking over the brink, 

 the roach may be seen swimming in the deeper part, and 

 where it shallows up stream is a perch waiting for what 

 may come down. Where the water runs slowly on account 

 of a little bay, there, in semi-darkness under the banks on 

 the mud, are a few tench. 



There are several*jacks not far off; but, though they 

 prey on the roach, it is noticeable that, unless driven by 

 some one passing by, they rarely go into these deep holes. 

 The jack lies in shallower water and keeps close to the 

 shore under shelter of the flags, or concealed behind the 

 weeds. It is as if he understood that every now and then 

 the shoal of roach will pass round the curve going from 

 one pool to the other when they have to swim through 



