SOME BRITISH FRESH-WATER FISHES 215 



since that is the object of its construction. It is 

 true there had been no rain for weeks, and that 

 the month was August, but I was hardly prepared 

 to find it in such an unprecedented condition of 

 shallowness, with a wide, muddy beach intervening 

 between the banks and the water. No boat was 

 procurable, so I had wearily to tramp along the 

 margin to the head of the reservoir, where a feeble 

 stream trickled over a weir into fairly clear and 

 deep water. There I languidly fished, the re- 

 sultant day's sport being three small roach and a 

 perch. 



Returning home along the dusty road, I met 

 two carts in succession, the carters being typical 

 Lancastrians, familiar in manner and considering 

 themselves " no man's inferior." 



" There's a chap bin' a-fishing," said one to the 

 other, over his shoulder. " Hast caught eowt ? " 

 called out to me the second carter. " Neowt,"was 

 my reply, " neowt worth speakin' on." For which 

 adoption of the Lancashire dialect I was much 

 complimented by my Warrington friends when 

 recounting the incident. 



In spite of the arid properties of the reservoir, I 

 conscientiously worked out my seven days' ticket, 

 but at the end of that time my answer to the 

 carter's inquiry would have been unaltered. 



