6o EASY-CHAIR MEMORIES 



note the lovely cock pheasant that dashes up 

 almost from under one's feet ; or the wild-duck 

 performing her little arts of deception, flutter- 

 ing and splashing in the water as if disabled 

 by broken leg or wing keeping always at a 

 safe distance to distract our attention from 

 her brood of young ones hidden away some- 

 where in the rushes; or the moorhen per- 

 forming similar antics ; or the young vole 

 nibbling luscious young grass under the bank ; 

 or the water-rat swimming across the stream 

 with a babe on its back ; or the restless, in- 

 cessantly chattering little sedge-warbler ; or the 

 pretty blackcap flitting here and there, singing 

 a sweet little song in the bushes ; or the 

 white-throated fly-catcher darting up for an 

 insect ; or the swifts and swallows skimming 

 the water and snatching up every fly that rises, 

 ofttimes making a dash at your own false fly, 

 but with wonderful quickness perceiving the 

 fraud and avoiding it; and a thousand other 

 curious things we may note were we not so 

 intently occupied in the deadly pursuit of little 

 fishes ! But it will not do to analyse " the con- 

 templative man's recreation" too closely; 

 man may boast of his superiority he is a 



