496 



MV GARDEN. 



■ In our water the trout spawn about the third week in January, and 

 continue to do so till the end of February or the first few days of 

 March. Below us, in the grounds of Shipley House, they are a few 

 days earlier. After having spawned, the fish distribute themselves over 

 the water, each taking up a station according to its fancy, where it 

 is always to be found, unless indeed it is taking an excursion for food 

 or for pleasure, when it returns again to the same place, so that each 

 individual trout is perfectly well known to the frequenters of my garden. 

 When a second trout seeks to secure a station already occupied, it is 

 amusing to see the one in possession rush at the intruder with open 

 mouth to chase it away. The trout at its station takes any food to its 

 mouth which may float down, the river, but sometimes it will not move 

 a foot out of the way to secure a tempting morsel. If disturbed, it 

 leisurely swims away a few yards ; and when all is again quiet, it returns 

 to its old quarters. In our river the chief food of the trout is the planor- 

 bis and limnaeus, the fresh-water shrimp, and the caddis-worm ; it also 

 rises to the water-flies which settle on the water during the summer 

 months ; but it is not very particular about its food, as it has been seen 

 to pick a mutton-chop bone with as much relish as a dog would. 



In the evening the trout wander up the streamlets searching for prey 

 in places where there is scarcely water to cover them, and return with 

 the velocity of lightning when disturbed. 



Sometimes the trout attempt to hide themselves by thrusting their ■ 

 heads into holes in the bank, unconscious that their tails are sticking out 

 and can be seen — a very dangerous position, as any person having an 

 evil intent has only to put his hand quietly down to the hole and 

 tickle the fish till the head be secured, when the trout can be 

 thrown on the bank. This process is called trout tickling. 



It is a wonderful sight to see the trout congregate to spawn on 

 shallow gravel beds over which there is a sharp stream of water. 

 Occasionally two or three trout go up one of the small streamlets and 

 make a little spawn-bed for themselves, but as a rule where one goes 

 all go, and so by their numbers they make a hill on the gravel of many 

 cartloads in extent. At the tail of this hill there is always a little . 



