88 Salmon Fishing. 



my strawberries, cherries, and gooseberries, too 

 often do. When walking with my little single- 

 barrel under my arm, how he bustles off with his 

 "wish you may catch me" chuckle. But lounge 

 as close as possible to him without it, and he 

 scarcely condescends to bestow any notice upon 

 my movements, until I send a stone whizzing 

 after him, and away he goes laughing at me. 

 No sooner, however, does a cat come within 

 the premises, and if I saw the intruder with 

 my own eyes, I could not be surer his of 

 presence, than when the blackbird's " tchuck ! 

 tchuck ! tchuck!" in a sotto voce note, is heard 

 continuously, till Grimalkin takes the hint, and 

 makes himself scarce again. 



To return however to the clamour of the gulls 

 which one day especially annoyed me. I had 

 been fishing for some time rather listlessly, and 

 began to weary of watching these birds, when 

 I was startled, nay, wellnigh frightened at a 

 heavy splash, too close to my fly, not to feel 

 assured that my finny friend (I hoped to 



