AND OF STILL WATERS. 59 



that it was full of fine tench. He fished all one 

 evening, and got only a miserable little half- 

 pounder, and would have given up in despair, 

 but the owner begged him to try again next 

 day. He did so, and was rewarded by catching 

 so many that at last he got tired of pulling them 

 out, and left off while the fish were yet biting 

 freely. He went back to the pond next day, 

 and caught one small tench; and, though he 

 returned on many occasions, in hope of resuming 

 the splendid sport he had had, he never caught 

 a single tench there again. Though tench 

 sometimes feed freely all day, their favourite 

 feeding-time is dusk, when the angler can 

 scarcely see his float. Tench, like bream, will 

 sometimes take the bait when standing on 

 their heads searching for food on the bottom ; 

 the angler's float then ceases to " cock," for the 

 leads on the line hang downwards from the 

 fish's mouth as he rises tail foremost. It 

 behoves the fisherman, therefore, to keep his 

 eyes open if he wishes to strike at the right 

 moment, which authorities maintain should be 

 only when he sees his float well carried off. 



