THE DRAWBRIDGE. 273 



the peewees, or the marsh-wrens that throng the wild- 

 rice not twenty yards away. So much for the ornithol- 

 ogy of this quaint bridge. 



The entomology would require a volume to exhaust ; 

 yet I cannot forbear brief mention of the wonderful 

 borings of the sturdy carpenter-bees. 



Belonging also to the zoology of the bridge is the list 

 of fishes to be taken from a deep hole between the stone 

 pier and the north bank of. the creek. Here the re- 

 mains of the ancient drawbridge make fishing somewhat 

 difficult, and the eager anglers hurry by to the wide 

 reaches of deep waters farther down the stream. In 

 this deep hole beneath the bridge have been caught the 

 largest specimens of rockfish, catfish, and perch ever 

 taken in the creek. So at least I have been told by 

 one born near by, and who for years was familiar with 

 the stream and those who fished in it. Of course it will 

 not do to indulge in fish stories, and yet, in the interest 

 of ichthyology, I am tempted to give some figures of 

 weight and measurement — am tempted, but will not 

 yield. Let this intimation, however, stand for an assur- 

 ance that the largest catfish, sunfish, and other kinds 

 have not yet been recorded. If museums were consid- 

 ered more and kitchens less, our knowledge of fishes 

 would be considerably advanced. Many and many a 

 valuable specimen has gone to the frying-pan that should 

 have filled a jar on the museum shelf. 



This, in brief, shows how much natural history may 

 linger about an old country bridge. Let us now return 

 to the birds that frequent it and study the cliff swallows 

 nesting under the eaves. 

 12* 



