WILD PASTURES 



your hook, his tawny yellow sides 

 marked by bands of dark green, his 

 back a darker green yet, and his fins a 

 rich red. He is the aristocrat of the 

 pool, his family being 'one of the very 

 oldest in the fish domesday book. He 

 lies in deeper water than the sunfish, 

 and his bite varies from a gentle nibble 

 to a good strong succession of pulls 

 which finally end in the cork going 

 down out of sight altogether. Yet 

 when he is at the bait you shall not 

 mistake any motion of that bob for the 

 ones made by the sunfish. The perch 

 has a daintier, more gentlemanly touch. 

 It is sure and strong, but it lacks the 

 roistering vitality of the sunfish. It is 

 an aristocratic bite, and you will recog- 

 nize it as such without clearly knowing 

 why, which is proof of his aristoc- 

 racy. You will recognize it, too, from 



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