NIGHT FLY AND BUSTARD FISHING 97 



out enjoying the river, with all the full, day-time 

 delights of its banks and braes. 



One night, when a trifle younger than my friend 

 of the " catch of four," and I had been to " Bob " to 

 get my hair cut, he persuaded me to go out night 

 fishing with him for the first time. 



We had to walk a mile and a half to our reach, 

 through the great, old wood, to the starting place of 

 that first day's spring fishing already described. 

 Spring fishing and night fishing have this in common 

 that the trout are to be found in similar water. The 

 great fields on our side were lying flat and still 

 in the subtle shade of evening light, and the woods 

 on the far bank showed dark to the edge of the river, 

 with a quickly paling western light through the tops 

 of the trees. As we walked along I had the feeling 

 that yery soon we should be shut in by the 

 night. 



Already the screech and hoot of the stirring night 

 owls could be heard, and the distant sound of bark- 

 ing, farmyard dogs. Now and again the clatter of 

 a gate reached the ear, conveying to the mind the 

 finish of the day. Corncrakes, every now and then, 

 gave out their harsh crake at our feet, and, seem- 

 ingly, but for these early night sounds of the wild 

 we were entirely alone. 



We started our fishing about fifty yards apart. 



