84 By Stream and Sea. 



the sides, and in perhaps not more than three inches of water, 

 there are hundreds of herring-sized fish lying head to stream. 



One Good Friday I went to Farningham to see the 

 " opening day " of the anglers, and among other sights I 

 must include large trout taking bread cast upon the water 

 by an ostler. The fish leaped boldly at the crusts, rejected 

 them, and turned down again with a mighty lash of the tail. 

 An old man emerged in alarm from a neat little cottage 

 opposite and sternly bade the ostler to desist. He was the 

 guardian of this show place for trout, and right faithfully did 

 he insist upon obedience to the orders painted upon the 

 notice-board. On the face of it this regulation seems absurd; 

 but trout are worth so much per pound, loafers are to be 

 found even at peaceful Farningham, and it is sad to know 

 that during the last two years the vile art of fish-stupefying 

 by poisonous compounds has been growingly practised. 



The May-fly does not visit the Darent any more than the . 

 Wandle, and the most successful anglers at Farningham use 

 the Wandle flies, swearing especially by the Tom Thumb- 

 like governor and quill gnat. It is but reasonable to expect 

 that the privilege to be obtained in the hotel water is not 

 thrown away. On most days there are some rods at work 

 early or late ; and after the beginning of June, though June 

 and July are probably the best months in the season, the 

 most sensible expectations will be those which are restricted 

 to a very modest limit. On those golden occasions which 

 are so few and far between, and so impossible to foretell, 

 three or four brace of fish may be taken, but the man who 

 can bring away his one or two trout need not mourn over 

 his ill-luck. There are several very remunerative " stickles *' 

 just below the antique brick bridge ; but the angler, if he 

 would do anything, must keep far out of sight, and be as 

 still as a mouse. 



