THE SACRIFICE TO TROUT. 190 



fowl will swallow the ova and fry of trout. It must 

 be understood that I am not here entering into the 

 question whether all these are really so injurious ; I 

 am merely giving a list of the " dogs with a bad name." 

 Moorhens and coots are especially disliked because they 

 are on or near the water day and night, and can 

 clear off large quantities of fry. Grebes (di-dappers or 

 dabchicks) are similar in habit, but less destructive 

 because fewer. Ducks are ravenous devourers; teal 

 are equally hated. The various divers which occasion- 

 ally visit the streams are also guilty. Lastly, the swan 

 is a well-known trout-pirate. Besides these, the two 

 kinds of rat land and water have a black mark 

 against them. Otter, pike, perch, heron, kingfisher, 

 owl, moorhen, coot, grebe, diver, wild-duck, swan, teal, 

 dipper, land-rat, and water-rat altogether sixteen 

 creatures are killed in order that one may flourish. 

 Although none of these, even in the south of England 

 except the otter has yet been excluded, the majority 

 of them are so thinned down as to be rarely seen unless 

 carefully sought. 



To go through the list: otters are practically ex- 

 cluded ; the pike is banished from trout streams but is 

 plentiful in others ; so too with perch ; herons, much 

 reduced in numbers ; owls, reduced ; kingfishers, grow- 

 ing scarce; coots, much less numerous because not 

 permitted to nest ; grebes, reduced ; wild-duck, seldom 

 seen in summer, because not permitted to nest ; teal, 

 same ; swan, not permitted on fisheries unless ancient 

 rights protect it ; divers, never numerous, now scarcer ; 

 moorhens, still fairly plentiful because their ranks are 

 constantly supplied from moats and ponds where they 



