58 FISHING FOR PLEASURE 



umbrellas, which I took to be about 1 7 ft. girth, 

 but I cannot guarantee it exactly as it was but 

 very roughly measured. 



How the young folks did enjoy themselves, 

 and what a job it was to get them together. We 

 saw none of the deer which are frequently to be 

 seen here about, but we saw a sight which equally 

 surprised and terrified the girls and boys. The 

 coachman drew up, and not far ahead of us we 

 saw a rabbit, but it was a rabbit with a stoat 

 clinging to his throat. The stoat quickly disap- 

 peared, but bunny lay gasping and struggling on 

 the grass. The girls bemoaned his terrible fate, 

 but the boys, young ruffians, were delighted to 

 have caught a rabbit anyhow, as catapulting had 

 not proved successful. The poor rabbit was soon 

 put out of his misery, and left on the grass for 

 the stoat to return to when we are out of sight. 



We soon arrived, after a drive of some miles 

 through the lovely beech woods of Mark Ash, at 

 "The Cat and Fiddle," and whilst our young 

 cormorants are again stuffing themselves with 

 buns and bread and butter I may enlighten their 

 ignorance and my own by telling them, in a few 

 words, what the local guide-book tells about this 

 wonderful Forest. It is said to be somewhat in 

 the shape of a headless butterfly with its wings 

 spread out. It is 21 miles in length from north 

 to south, and 12 miles from east to west. It is 

 92,375 acres in extent, of which 27,638 acres are 



