AN EASTER OUTING (AND INNING). 27 



be rising like this when they are not in season?" 

 There must be ten grayling to one trout in this bit of 

 our river they really ought to be thinned out, or else 

 they should keep themselves down till they are wanted. 

 One proof that they are more numerous than trout is 

 that when we netted the river for jack in February last 

 we brought up at every draught three or four or six 

 grayling and only a trout or two. On that interesting 

 occasion of netting for jack, which I had never wit- 

 nessed before, and which deserves a longer description 

 than I can now devote to it, we caught twenty-two 

 jack, varying in size from 2 Ib. to 10 Ib. A curious 

 lot they were. One of them had an ancient gash in 

 his side, in which one could bury one's finger, but he 

 was otherwise in good health, and as lively as he could 

 be expected to be when turned out to grass ; another 

 disgorged a live quarter pound trout, which went back 

 to the river to grow bigger. One trout was caught with 

 four flies hooked to his lips, and bits of gut sticking 

 out like a cat's whiskers. 



They were netting again a few days afterwards when 

 I was not present, but our valiant keeper, old Davis, 

 was there to see that our trout and grayling were pro- 

 perly put back. Davis vows that on that occasion he 

 saw in the shallow water a jack of about 4 Ib. go quietly 

 up behind a I Ib. trout and swallow him at a gulp. 

 The trout was entirely taken by surprise, and was 

 allowed no opportunity for making a splash about it. 

 The most curious thing was that immediately after- 

 wards they drew the exact spot where he had seen this 

 tragedy enacted, and their haul brought up amongst 

 others a 4 Ib. jack in which they found a I Ib. trout, 



