Reed Fens. 319 



scene! the stream and enter the net. Proliablj' they 

 attempt to swim up sti-eam first, but are deterred by 

 the pole thrust under the water, and then go down. 

 It is said that even eels, who like mud, will move if 

 the volume of mud sent through is thick enough and 

 continued sufficientl}- long. 



The fact that a little stirring of the bottom at- 

 tracts fish is made use of along the Thames to 

 attract bait for those night-lines wjiich are the detes- 

 tation of the true angler. The bait catcher has a 

 long pole, at the end of which are iron teeth like a 

 rake. With this he rakes up the mud, waits a few 

 seconds, and then casts a net, which generally 

 brings some minnows or other small fish to shore. 

 These fish are then placed in a bucket, and finally 

 go on the night-lines. 



The ditches as thej^ open on the brook are the 

 favorite resorts of all aquatic life, and there most of 

 the insects, beetles, &c., that live in the water ma}^ 

 be discovered. They form, too, one of the last re- 

 sorts of the reeds ; these beautiful plants have been 

 much diminished in quantity by the progress of 

 agriculture. One or two great mounds by the brook 

 can show a small bed still, and here and there a 

 group grows at the mouth of these deep ditches, on 

 the little delta formed of the sand, mud, and decay- 

 ing twigs brought down. I have cut them fifteen 

 feet in length. Some people, attracted by the beaut}' 

 of the feather}^ heads of these reeds, come a con- 

 siderable distance to get them. I have made pens 

 of them : it is possible to write with such pens, and 

 they are softer than quills, but on account of that 

 softness quickly w^ear out. 



