ed mushroom whose stalk had been removed, and where beautifully
cut leafy transparencies took the place of the mushroom gills.

No sooner was it in the water than it began to swim, by expanding, and
contracting itself with such facility that, but for the meshes of the
net, it would soon have taken its wondrous hanging fringes and delicate
soap-bubble hues out of sight.

"Better not touch it," said Will, as Dick was about to place his hand
beneath the curious object.

"Why not?" asked Arthur sharply.

"Because they sting," replied Will. "Some sting more than others.
Perhaps that does, sir."

Arthur glanced at his father, who nodded his head.

"Yes; I believe he is right," said Mr Temple. "It is a curious fact in
natural history. We need not test it to see if it is correct."

"Look, look!" cried Dick; "here's a pollack like I caught. Oh! do look
at its bright colours, father; but what shall we do with the
jelly-fish?"

"Let it go. We cannot save it. In an hour or two there would be
nothing left but some dirty film."

The pollack was then examined, with all its glories of gold, bronze, and
orange. Then there was a skipping, twining, silvery, long-nose that
could hardly be kept in the net, a fish that looked remarkably like an
eel, save for its regularly shaped mackerel tail, and long beak-like
nose. Sea-bream were the next--ruddy looking, large-eyed fish, not much
like their fellows of the fresh water, even what were called the black
bream--dark, silvery fellows, similar in shape, bearing but a small
resemblance to the fish the brothers had often caught in some river or
stream in a far-off home county.

Dick's eyes glistened with pleasure; and waking up more and more to the
fact that the finding of fresh kinds of fish gave the boy intense
delight, Will kept eagerly on the look-out.

"Here, hi! Throw that over here, Michael Pollard," cried Will.

"It be only a gashly scad," said the great, black-bearded fisherman; and
he turned the fish good-humouredly into Dick's landing-net.

"Why, it's a kind of mackerel-looking fish," said Dick, as he examined
his fresh prize.

"Ah! mind how you touch it!" cried Will, "it is very sharp and prickly."

"All right!" said Dick. "Oh! I say, though, it is sharp."

"Well, you were warned," said Mr Temple, as Dick applied a bleeding
finger to his mouth.

"Yes, but I did not know it was so sharp as that," said Dick. "Don't
you touch it, Taff;" and this time he tu