xiv A SUBURBAN FISHERY 255 



feed. But he is provokingly irregular in 

 his habits, and it is likely that he feeds at 

 night. There is another monster about a 

 hundred yards lower down among the 

 willows, who once took a roach -bait and 

 destroyed most of the angler's tackle. He, 

 too, is very rarely seen to feed. 



This clump of willows, where the river 

 turns a corner, is a favourite place for chub, 

 which grow to a large size and are pro- 

 portionately cautious. The heaviest of 

 them hardly ever rise to a fly, but occasion- 

 ally they bite well in the winter at cheese 

 or lobworms. Some distance below the 

 willows is the other shallow. There are 

 usually one or two good trout here, as well 

 as a plentiful supply of dace. After this 

 the river turns two abrupt corners and then 

 keeps a straight course for the weir. The 

 weir -pool and the two hundred yards of 

 stream below it are really the most fascinat- 

 ing piece of the fishery. Seated on the 

 wall by the rush of water, you could easily 

 imagine yourself buried in the country 

 miles from even a market-town. The mill- 

 house is the only building within sight, 

 and its somewhat bold squareness of outline 



