84 ATERSIDE SKETCHES. 



hanging the water, at which he looked intently while I looked 

 at him. Meanwhile, a trout took advantage of my fly 

 floating at will with the current, and rudely recalled me 

 from my bird-study by hooking himself, leaping out of the 

 water, and escaping with a shilling's worth of tackle. The 

 kingfisher darted up stream, but came back again in a few 

 minutes, hovering restlessly about, waiting, no doubt, until 

 the neighbourhood was clear of his human rival. I rather 

 suspect he was at the same time quietly amusing himself 

 over the penalty I had to pay for inattention to rod and line. 



Practical Notes on Devonshire Fishing. 



The Exe, the Teign, the Ott^r, the Sid, and the Axe are 

 good rivers in the more eastern parts of the country, the last 

 three named coming in fact from the Somersetshire hills. The 

 Otter is one of our earliest trout rivers, fishing commencing 

 there with the month of February. It requires most delicate 

 fishing, but there are fair supplies of trout. I have had no 

 personal experience of these rivers beyond that performed 

 by a spectator who sits in a basket chaise watching an 

 angler, devoutedly wishing all the time that he wielded the 

 rod instead of the whip. I saw a keeper near Ottery St. 

 Mary catch a brace of half-pounders in two casts, delivered 

 in the most masterly manner. But, as he confessed to me, 

 he had been looking after those fish for three days. It is 

 difficult to obtain permission to fish in this part of Devon- 

 shire. In the Exe, close to Exeter, there is a reach of 

 passable pike water, fishable from a boat only. 



In the north of the county the Taw and the Torridge are 

 famous streams. The former is a Dartmoor born river^ 



