152 WITH THE WOODLANDERS. 



some sort, however, and he begins to whack it 

 about before he swallows it, after perching again 

 on his favourite spot over the fall. No bird lends 

 itself to the bird-preserver's art with less satisfac- 

 tory results than does this flashing bright bird, so 

 full of active life. Indeed, he is difficult to set 

 up, difficult to paint, and hard to watch. If you 

 wish to see what the gay creature is, you must 

 see him alive. 



At one time a broad cart-track, made with heavy 

 logs, ran over the stream in this meadow. One 

 end of this has slipped from the bank, and the 

 whole is under water. This naturally caused some 

 obstruction to the course of the stream ; the water 

 rushed under it, scooping out a large hollow. As 

 I stand looking at this, birds are for the moment 

 forgotten, and I seem to be stretched out on the 

 edge of that bank once more, as on evenings long 

 past, with a stick about four feet in length and a 

 good gut line, having a nice red worm at the end 

 of it. This I gently drop in the water above those 

 planks, and allow it to float down. Swish ! comes 

 something from underneath them but, ah, the 

 rod, like the gun, has long since been laid aside ! 



