60 MOSTLY ABOUT TROUT 



two nut-hatches, very busy, but having just 

 a moment to spare to perform a few gym- 

 nastics on a wee bush in the corner of the little 

 grass-plot. After a glimpse at the spoil, one 

 of them seized the biggest morsel, the other 

 the next in size, and away with them in a hurry 

 to their food-hoarding hole, of which we know 

 the whereabouts in a friend's garden. Then 

 a greenfinch and all this within the space of 

 ten minutes. I will pass over the birds seen 

 in the primrose-banked lane leading to the 

 river. From the lane runs a footpath through 

 a wood, a little brook babbling by the footpath 

 to run a wee mill just before joining the 

 Torridge. On reaching the river the footpath 

 turns up the river-bank, and between that 

 spot and where I am lying I saw three king- 

 fishers, the first two showing only the copper- 

 coloured underside, as they had turned upwards 

 when I saw them, but the third I had a full 

 view of from above, as the sun shone full on 

 his flashing blue back. There are three green 

 woodpeckers calling afar off, and one is tapping 

 in the wood opposite ; but none of these have 

 I seen this morning. 



The most uncommon sight I have kept to 

 the last. On the sky-line the softness of 

 colouring of the trees in the wood is merged 



