DEATH OF THE MALLARD. 31 



dropped to the spot where he had fallen in the 

 middle of a wide marsh, which I might have 

 reached, by crossing the river at a higher point 

 and making a circuit of about half a mile; but 

 fearing that any closer inspection of her proceed- 

 ings might tend to alarm her from her favourite 

 haunts, and being quite satisfied with my share 

 of the sport, I left her to discuss her well-earned 

 prize without further interruption. 



Many a subsequent visit, however, did I pay 

 to the same spot before my return to England, 

 frequently without seeing anything of the falcon, 

 but occasionally finding myself amply rewarded 

 by witnessing a display of her powers'. I always 

 forbore from carrying my gun, lest I should be 

 tempted to take a shot at some of the wild-fowl, 

 and so disturb or perhaps scare away the pere- 

 grine, which was now the chief object of interest 

 to me. I therefore employed my rod as an ac- 

 cessory to the day's sport, and although it was 

 not the regular season for fly-fishing, yet on a 

 muggy day, with ( a southerly wind and a cloudy 

 sky,' I could always catch a good dish of well- 

 flavoured trout from the upper stream, with the 

 small black-midge or the dun-hackle, aided by 

 fine tackle and a light hand. At other times the 

 tantalizing rumours that reached me of some 

 enormous pike having been seen, as he lay asleep 



