1 86 The Gamekeeper at Home. 



he will slip from the noose, and possibly find his way 

 back again into the water. With a wire there is little 

 risk of that ; but then the withy does not cut its way 

 into the fish. 



This trick is often accomplished with the common 

 withy — not that which grows on pollard trees, but in 

 osier-beds ; that on the trees is brittle. But a special 

 kind is sought for the purpose, and for any other re- 

 quiring extreme flexibility. It is, I think, locally 

 called the stone osier, and it does not grow so tall as 

 the common sorts. It will tie like string. Being so- 

 short, for poaching fish it has to be fastened to a 

 thicker and longer stick, which is easily done ; and 

 some prefer it to wire because it looks more natural 

 in the water and does not alarm the fish, while, should 

 the keeper be about, it is easily cut up in several 

 pieces and thrown away. I have heard of rabbits, 

 and even hares, being caught with a noose of this 

 kind of withy, which is as ' tough as wire ; ' and yet it 

 seems hardly possible, as it is so much thicker and 

 would be seen. Still, both hares and rabbits, when 

 playing and scampering about at night, are sometimes 

 curiously heedless, and foolish enough to run their 

 necks into anything. 



With such a rude implement as this some fish- 

 poachers will speedily land a good basket of pike. 



