upon what had once been a good house, in
front of which stood a row of fine yews. It was fast going to ruin, and,
indeed, only a few rooms were occupied. While he was examining it, the
occupier, who knew him slightly, asked him to come in and have some
mead, made from his own honey. After talking a little while, the host
began to tell him his troubles about his young ducks. They went out for
water excursions, as young ducks must, but his wife did not let them
stop out late, because of the foxes; but on the way home, some of them
had lately disappeared mysteriously. He offered to show the spot, and
took his visitor there. The little ducks crossed a broad piece of open
water to get upon a sloping board just as they reached the place; down
into the stream they went, sometimes two at once. The visitor asked his
guide whether he had seen any jack. He said that there were plenty, and
that he had caught several; but there was one big fellow he had noticed
which would not take the bait offered.

'That is the offender!' cried the man; 'he swims up the stream, picks up
a fish here and there till the tiny little ducklings, which are a
delicacy to him, are on the water. If there is one the right size to
suit him, he has it; if not, he goes back to other food. Afterwards he
returns to deep water, but is here again in the evening when the ducks
come home.'

What was to be done was the next question. How could this artful jack be
caught, if he was too dainty to take ordinary bait? Then they thought of
a capital plan. They got a long, straight pole, and fastened to it a
strong bit of pike-line. A dead wood-mouse was obtained and secured to
the line, and at the proper time gently floated over the place where the
ducklings had vanished. The plan answered capitally. Mr. Jack came,
seized the mouse, and was hauled out of the water, and no more ducklings
were lost.

Another instance of a jack's greed was told in one of the newspapers. A
shepherd was passing an ornamental lake one day, when his dog started a
stoat, which ran out from some bushes near the water. The stoat, being
pursued, at last actually jumped into the lake, and swam away. The
shepherd was still watching it, as it swam bravely on, when suddenly the
nose of a large pike shot out of the water close by, and the fish was
seen making straight for the animal. In a few moments it had seized the
wretched stoat, and though the latter struggled hard for its life, all
was in vain. T