BIRCH 



saught during our stay. Only a week previous, a 

 party of three had taken in a few hours all the fish 

 they could carry out of the woods, and had nearly 

 surfeited their neighbors with trout. But from some 

 cause they now refused to rise, or to touch any kind 

 of bait : so we fell to catching the sun-fish which were 

 small but very abundant. Their nests were all along 

 shore. A space about the size of a breakfast-plate 

 was cleared of sediment and decayed vegetable mat- 

 ter, revealing the pebbly bottom, fresh and bright, 

 with one or two fish suspended over the centre of it, 

 keeping watch and ward. If an intruder approached, 

 they would dart at him spitefully. These fish have 

 the air of bantam cocks, and with their sharp, prickly 

 fins and spines, and scaly sides, must be ugly custom- 

 ers in a hand to hand encounter with other finny 

 warriors. To a hungry man they look about as un- 

 promising as hemlock slivers, so thorny and thin are 

 they ; yet there is sweet meat in them, as we found 

 that day. 



Much refreshed, I set out with the sun low in the 

 west to explore the outlet of the lake and try for 

 trout there, while my companions made further trials 

 in the lake itself. The outlet, as is usual in bodies 

 of water of this kind, was very gentle and private. 

 The stream, six or eight feet wide, flowed silently and 

 evenly along for a distance of three or four rods, 

 ^rhen it suddenly, as if conscious of its freedom, took 

 % leap down some rocks. Thence, as far as I fol- 

 lowed it, its descent was very rapid, through a con- 



