CH. III.] SPAWN DEVOURED BY BIRDS AND FISH. 51 
occupy more than a couple of days, and that it is 
often performed in one. There are, however, occa- 
sional exceptions, as I have seen it going on in the 
same pond on the 3rd of June, and again on the 
9th of the same month. 
There can be no doubt that (in shallow ponds 
particularly) a great part of the spawn is devoured 
by water-birds, and that small fish, Roach for 
instance, are also very destructive to it. Having 
one day, after watching the Carp spawning, taken 
up a position in a summer-house hard by, I saw fly 
into the pond four Mallards, which within a minute 
or two were busily engaged with their heads under 
water exactly where I had seen the Carp. In a 
very short time they were joined by a Moor-hen, 
who also immediately went eagerly to work at the 
same place. 
I had at one time, by constantly feeding the 
Roach in one of these ponds, brought them to such 
a degree of tameness, that they would take bread 
out of my fingers, and play round and through 
them in scores. Generally they were collected in 
numbers waiting to be fed at their accustomed 
breakfast-time, but I noticed that, while the Carp 
were engaged in spawning, only two or three made 
their appearance, and even they would scarcely 
E2 
