mon 
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ern 
PERCH. 41 
and they show quite an amount of confidence in 
coming to be fed. Coots and dabchicks breed 
among the reeds, and both fight with the fish 
for possession of the soft-bodied food. In hot 
weather the perch swim near the surface, and 
then the aquatic birds have no chance against 
them. As a red-worm reaches the water, every 
fish rushes up, and sometimes a dozen open 
mouths reach the morsel at the same instant. If 
absolute possession has not been gained, there is 
a struggle, and the pool is lashed into quite a 
fishy commotion. The jaws are at work, the red 
fins flash like sparks of fire, and the bronze bodies 
seem all over the pool at once. There is an old 
pile which they love to haunt, and they are some- 
times seen to gently rub their sides against it. In 
sharp contrast to the dusky perch are the silvery 
roach. These describe their graceful evolutions 
just on the side of the ‘‘ Perch-pool,” but rarely 
invade it; if they do, the perch at once become 
aggressive, and the “water-sheep” are not long 
in making good their retreat. We have fre- 
quently taken large fish of both species from this 
preserve with fly. A quick eye and hand is 
requisite to successful fly-fishing for perch, and 
once indulged, it becomes quite a fascinating pur- 
suit—how fascinating the following incident will 
show. A “gentleman poacher” of the neigh- 
