Favourite Haunts of Fish. 353 
come, accordingly, all the summer through, day after 
day. 
Sparrows, starlings, finches (including the beautiful 
goldfinches), blackbirds, and so on, are constantly to 
and fro. Often several of different species are bathing 
together. The wagtails, of course, are there. The 
wagtail wades into the water and stands there. Some- 
times he has the appearance of scraping the bottom 
with his feet, as if to find food. Blackbirds are espe- 
cially fond of this spot, and may be seen coming to 
it from the adjacent hedges. They like water, and 
frequently feed near it; a blackbird may often be 
found under the great hawthorn bushes which over- 
hang the stream. Hawks may be seen occasionally 
following the course of the brook or perched on the 
trees that grow near ; they are doubtless aware of the 
partiality for water shown by so many birds. 
The fish have their own favourite places, as the 
birds in the hedge, and after leaving the hatch there 
are none for some distance. Then the brook suddenly 
curves and forms a loop, returning almost upon itself 
something like the letter O. The tongue of land thus 
enclosed is broad at the top, and but two or three 
yards across at the bottom. There the current on 
either side is for ever endeavouring to eat away the 
narrow neck, and forms two deep pools. Some few 
piles have been driven in on one side to check the 
process of disintegration, and a willow-tree overhangs 
the pool there. By lying on the grass and quietly 
AA 
