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mixed, of a dark-cinnamon shade; wound with | hungry again. If this has been neglected, a few silver twist and dark-red hackle; shoulders com- fragments of worms may be scattered over the posed of breast-feather of the argus pheasant; spot during operations. wings composed of golden pheasant tippet or neck feathers, distinctly marked teal, four fibres of blue

Fig. 6.

and red macaw tail-feathers, with pairs of wings from the brown and black barred feathers of the peacock wing surmounting the whole; a blue feather from the kingfisher or blue chatterer on each side of the wings; feelers-from blue and buff macaw tail-feathers; head-black ostrich herl.'

PRACTICE OF ANGLING.

There are two distinct kinds of angling-baitfishing and fly-fishing, and these are variously practised according to the depth, current, and state of the water, or the nature of the fish sought to be caught.

Bait-fishing.

The mode of fishing with bait differs according as it is practised on sluggish rivers and ponds, or on rapid streams. The fish usually sought for in the deep and somewhat dull rivers of England, are gudgeon, dace, roach, bream, chub, barbel, tench, carp, perch, and pike: all are sometimes taken by fly; but a bait of worms, or gentles, is commonly employed. The angler in these rivers either stands on the shore while fishing, or fishes from a punt, or small flat-bottomed boat, in which he sits watching his float, and pulling in his line when a fish appears to be hooked. The float consists of a piece of cork or a porcupine quill, kept in a perpendicular position on the surface of the water by an exact balance of leaden shot; and is attached to the line at such a distance from the end as to allow the bait to trail slightly on, or just free of the bottom, while the float swims on the surface. Having chosen a spot for his operations, the angler usually baits the bottom of the water, in order to draw the fish together. This ground bait consists of chopped worms, gentles, bran, boiled grains, cheese, &c. It should be made up in balls or pellets, mixed if necessary with marl or clay, so that it may reach the bottom without breaking up. It is well that the 'pitch,' or 'swim,' as it is called, be baited twenty-four hours before being fished, that the fish may have time to become

The first thing the bait-fisher has to learn is the art of baiting his hooks. Taking the hook in his right hand, and the bait between his fingers in the left, let him enter the hook at the head of the worm, and carry it through the animal to near the tail, covering the entire hook and its tying. The worm should be broken or mangled as little as possible; and the more lifelike it appears, the greater the probability of its proving an effectual lure.

In throwing the line with bait, take care not to splash the water, but throw somewhat horizontally forward, so as to let the bait fall gently on the surface, and sink slowly in the water to the required depth. After sinking, the rod and line should be very slowly moved in a direction against the stream, or in some other way to give motion to the bait, which the fish perceiving to glide through the water, will hasten to seize upon.

Occasionally the angler will feel a nibble, but he must not be in a hurry to strike-that is, to pull so as to run the hook into the fish's mouth. Perhaps it is no more than a nibble, and it is well to allow the fish time to get the hook in his mouth. If drawn too quickly, you may actually pull away the hook after it is half-gulped. Experience and dexterity are required in this ticklish part of the craft. As a general rule, do not strike till the line has been distinctly tugged; then strike by a slow side-motion at first, then a more quick jerk, so as to cause the hook to catch in the jaws of the animal. Supposing the fish to be hooked, do not draw it violently out of the water, as if in a transport of delight, but wind up part of your loose line if necessary, and holding up your rod, retire gradually backward, by which the fish may be landed on the shore.

The gudgeon, a fish of the trout shape, affords a favourite amusement to anglers in the Lea, a river near London, and also in the Thames. Blaine thus speaks of this branch of angling: Fishing for gudgeons in the Thames is usually practised by means of a punt, which is fixed across the stream part of the river just above a tolerably sharp scower, running over a fine gravelly bottom, free from weeds, at depths varying from five to eight or ten feet. As the eddy is greater, generally, and the water deeper, in these scowers than in those of the Lea, so the tackle used is commonly somewhat stronger, and a fine gut-line is more frequently met with there than one of single hair. Fine tackle, however, in a good hand, is to be always preferred; and we have seen many hundred dozens of gudgeons taken in the sharpest currents of this river also with a single hair only for the two bottom links. Punt-fishing for gudgeon in the Thames is a delightful amusement, particularly to the luxurious angler who is not inclined to take much trouble.'

The roach is a thick fish, deep from the back to the belly; it inhabits the bottom of deep rivers or lakes, and is usually reckoned so incautious and silly as to be called the water-sheep; nevertheless, it is not taken without some degree of skill, as is shewn in the Book of the Roach, by Greville Fennell (to whom we are indebted for revising the present sketch). It is angled for by means of bait sunk to within a few inches of the bottom.

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The fish may be attracted by throwing in some crumbs of bread. It is caught in the Thames some time after the end of August. The baits used are gentles, red paste, and boiled malt or wheat; one grain of the latter is sufficient. Great attention is required to strike quick when the bait is taken. Dace and tench are angled for much in the same manner. Carp is angled for in stagnant waters from February to September, and the baits are worms, larvæ, grain, and pastes. The perch also inhabits dull waters, and is a fish much coveted by epicures, and always fetches a high price in the English market. The baits employed for it are worms, insects, and minnows.

Pike-fishing.

The pike is a voracious fish, and may very appropriately be termed the fresh-water shark; it does not confine itself to feed on worms, insects, fish, and frogs, but will devour water-rats and young ducks, and attack much larger animals. We are told, also, that on one occasion a snipe was found in the stomach of this voracious tyrant. | All small fish are terrified at the approach of this marauder, which, if permitted, would soon clear a pond of all its finny tribes. It attains to great age and size. Pike from 10 to 20 lbs. are by no means uncommon, but a fish of 40 lbs. is sometimes heard of, and there are records of 80 lbs. and one even of 170 lbs. The pike is often called the Jack, although that name is properly applied only to young pike up to the weight of 4 lbs. or so. They frequent both lakes and rivers, and generally station themselves in or near beds of weeds, and in corners of bays, and in eddies. They spawn from February till April, retiring for this purpose into backwaters and ditches.

There are various ways of catching pike; they are even taken sometimes with large gaudy flies. But the most approved and sportsman method is by spinning with any small fish, such as a gudgeon, a dace, or a small trout for a bait. The tackle is similar to the minnow tackle above described, only that the trace and the gut, or rather gimp, that carries the hooks should be stronger than for trout-fishing. The accompanying figure will give a better notion of the most usual style of a flight of hooks, and the way the bait is put on, than any description. It requires a good deal of practice to cast such a bait to the desirable distance without making an alarming splash. In fishing a stream, it is recommended to cast across and Fig. 7. rather down stream than up. The bait is allowed to sink to a greater or less depth, and is then drawn towards the angler, not uniformly, but in successive shoots. In a stream, this makes the bait cross obliquely, and come to the bank below the angler. When a fish is felt, he must be struck, but not rashly. Pike

702

are also taken in weedy waters with the dead gorge, a method termed trolling; but in this case the pike is permitted from five to ten minutes to gorge the bait, and not struck at once, as in spinning.

Trout-fishing.

Trout is a general name for several kinds of fish that are captured with the rod. Thus, there are silvery species that migrate to the sea, and are variously named sea-trout, bull-trout, salmon-trout, or gray trout. But the angler's fish par excellence is the common river or yellow trout (Salmo fario), which is a constant inhabitant of fresh water, and of which six are taken by the rod for one of any other kind of fish. It abounds in the lakes and streams of Great Britain, and of the temperate and cold regions of the Old World generally; and the common brook-trout of North America is so like the common trout of Britain, that it may be considered as a variety rather than as a distinct species. It is a question among naturalists whether the_gillaroo trout of Lough Neagh and the redfleshed trout of Loch Leven are distinct species, or only varieties produced by peculiarities of the feeding-ground. Trout are found in the smallest rivulets, but it is only in deep streams and lakes, where there is good feeding, that they attain their full size. From 6 to 10 lbs. is a large trout, though a few instances of 20 lbs. and upwards are on record. In most streams a trout of 1 to 14 lb. is a fine fish, and four to the pound is a good average. In Scotch streams, trout of 1 lb. are very rare indeed. Five or six to the pound is about the average of the angler's 'take' in the Tweed and its tributaries. In the Highlands the trout are, as a usual rule, still smaller.

The two chief ways of angling for trout are, with the fly and with worm-bait. Fly-fishing is most successful in April and May, and again in September; worm-fishing in June and July, when the streams are small and clear, and at any time in the season when the waters are flooded.

Trout-fishing with Fly.-Of all kinds of piscatorial sport, this is the greatest favourite; it is the cleanliest and least troublesome, and is, in fact, angling par excellence. The number of flies used varies from one to six, or more; a cast of two or three flies is as effective as any, and is more easily managed than a larger number. The fly at the extreme end is called the stretcher or tail-fly; the others are called drop flies or droppers -in Scotland, bobs. The distance between the hooks of a cast is two feet more or less; and the droppers should hang from the main line by threads of gut of two or three inches long. There are various ways of attaching them. Loops are objectionable, as being clumsy.

The fly-cast being attached to the casting-line, the next thing the beginner has to learn is to cast the line into the water-an important point. He should practise at first with a line not much longer than his rod, and indeed the best anglers recommend fishing in all circumstances, when it is practicable, with a short line which you can perfectly command. The rod is to be raised over the shoulder with sufficient force to throw the line backward at full length. A slight pause is necessary to allow this to take place, and the transition from the backward motion to the forward is to be made by a slight sweep. The reason of this is,

that if the end of the line doubles back too quickly | inches long, and of the thickness of a hen's quill— and at a sharp angle, it cracks like a whip, and is the best. Two or three feet of fine gut should the hooks are snapped off. The forward motion intervene between the hooks and the stronger part of the rod is at first more rapid than the backward, of the casting-line. A longer rod is necessary but it should be gradually arrested at an angle of than in fly-fishing, because, it being impossible to about 45°, so that the line may stretch out at full manage a long line properly, additional length of length in the air, and then fall gently with its own rod is required to keep weight on the water. The flies should fall first, the angler out of sight and as little more of the line as possible should of the fish. Fishing up touch the water. To be able to let the flies drop stream is even more imlightly like natural flies, and at the precise point-portant with worm than known to the skilled angler only-where the trout is feeding, is half the art.

As soon as a trout rises, he should be struck, but very gently; for no sooner has he closed his mouth on the fly, than he discovers the deception, and drops it; and unless the angler, by a pull of the line, runs the hook into his jaws, he is free. Hence the importance of a keen eye to detect the slightest movement in the water, and a tight line which answers at once to the slightest impulse of the rod. It is vain to strike after you have felt a trout, or seen the break on the surface of the water, caused by his turning to go down.

Down or up Stream?-Fishing up stream has decided advantages over the opposite practice. The chief is, that the angler is unseen by the trout, which always lie with their head up stream-in fact, cannot lie otherwise. Another advantage is, that the unfished ground is less disturbed when a fish is hooked, as the angler can more easily prevent it from running upwards than he can from coming downward. Besides all this, the flies when cast up float down with the current in the natural way that a drowned fly does; and this is the only thing they can resemble. It is only at the instant they drop into the water that they can be taken for a live fly, and so far as that goes, fishing down is on a par with fishing up. When a strong wind or other cause makes casting up stream impossible, cast across and rather up, and allow the hooks to float straight down for some way; they are far more deadly thus than when sweeping across the

stream.

The golden rule in angling-to neglect which is to render all other skill nugatory-is, to avoid being seen by the fish; hence the angler should keep as far as possible from the water he is fishing, and also at a low level. At a certain low angle, rays of light can neither enter nor issue from the surface of water. Looking straight down into water, or at a moderately high angle, you can see the stones at the bottom, and in such a position a trout sees you; but bring your head down to near the level, and you see only a glittering surface, and you are equally unseen to eyes within the water. higher, you stand the wider is the range of seeing and being seen. One advantage of wading, over fishing from the bank, is the lower level of the angler's body. Some enthusiasts in the art, in clear weather, approach a stream crawling, and fish in a prostrate position.

The

Trout-fishing with Worm.-Worm-fishing used to be looked down upon as fit only for schoolboys; but as practised in midsummer, when the waters are small and clear, it requires an amount of art and skill second only to fly-fishing. The best arrangement of hooks is Stewart's tackle, consisting of three or four small hooks tied to one piece of gut, as represented in the figure. A bright, clear worm, of rather small size-from two to three

Fig. 8.

with fly. In casting, the motion is slower than with the fly, in order not to tear off the worm. The art consists in throwing up stream, and making the bait drop gently and with precision a few inches above a particular spot where you suspect a trout to lie. No more line should be in the water than is necessary to let the worm float down without interference with its natural motion. In using Stewart's tackle, it is best to strike a few seconds after perceiving that the line is arrested in its downward motion; with the ordinary single hook, a little time should be given, as the trout may have hold of the worm quite clear of the point of the hook. It is only in strong currents or deep water that shot or other kind of sinker is necessary.

The best months for worm-fishing are June and July; and, as a rule, trout take best in the early part of the day. But in this respect they are most capricious; after taking freely for a time, they will suddenly disappear, and no more be seen for an hour or two-perhaps for the rest of the day. It is in the streams and at the heads of pools, that trout are mostly to be found. At certain times, they frequent the shallow runs where there is barely water to cover them. The angler soon discovers whether they are in the shallows or in the deeper streams. When there is a breeze of wind, even the still parts of a pool may be fished with worm.

Worm-fishing in flooded waters is altogether different from worm-fishing in clear water. It is successful at all times during the angling season. Instead of the streams, the trout are to be sought for in shallow sides of pools, the thin water at the tails of streams, and in the eddies of streams near the edge. It is not a very enticing kind of sport. Fine tackle is of less consequence than in clearwater fishing.

Lake or Loch Fishing is pursued either from the shore or from a boat, and mostly with artificial flies. The flies are usually larger and gaudier than for stream-fishing; but with little wind and. clear water, small river-flies are preferable. When a boat is used, it is allowed to drift, broadside on, with the wind, and the line is cast to leewards, and straight out from bow and stern. Two persons usually fish from one boat. Sometimes, when the fish will not rise to the fly when cast, they may be taken by trailing, or trolling, as it is called in Scotland. This consists in rowing the boat at a slow pace, and allowing the flies to drag behind at 40 to 80 yards' distance. Instead of flies, the artificial minnow is much used in trailing. Of this lure there are several kinds, the

two most approved being Brown's Phantom minnow, and the Angell or Devonshire minnow. Even on a day when the trout are rising to the fly, trailing is used in passing from one part of the loch to another.

Salmon-fishing.

Fishing up stream is not recommended in salmon-fishing, but rather across, the fly being allowed to sweep downward and across. The salmon has a peculiar habit, very likely to upset the calculations of beginners: it consists of the ugly practice of running off at a violent speed as soon as he feels himself hooked, darting up the stream, throwing himself several times out of the water, and generally in the end hastening into

some sheltered haunt under the banks where he expects to be safe. Great tact is necessary on these occasions, first to give line, and then to keep him from burying himself in these unapproachable nooks.

Leistering is the name usually given to a murderous kind of pastime once pursued by salmonfishers in Scotland, but now confined to lawless marauders, who kill vast numbers of fish during 'close time. Armed with leisters, or spears with three-barbed prongs, a set of fishers proceed to the river's bank, and there attract the fish by the glare of torches, held over the water by members of the party. When a salmon is discovered, one selects it as his prey, and by a cool but rapid blow transfixes it with his spear. There is an annual close time, during which it is illegal to angle for salmon. The limits vary for different districts, but are mostly from some time in October to the beginning of February. Common trout are not protected by any such law, but they are seldom fished for between September and April.

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seldom reaches a greater length than six inches, and is usually found below that magnitude. It is silvery in appearance, and marked by peculiar bluish bars or marks along the body; while a more nicely forked tail, and one regular row of scarlet spots along the sides, in place of two or the trout, the fish which it most resembles. three, aid further in distinguishing the parr from

Of the actual character of the parr, whether it is has been a long-continued controversy, which may an independent species or the fry of salmon, there now be considered as settled in favour of its being the young of the salmon. On most salmon rivers, anglers are prohibited from catching parr, and ought to be so on all.

FISHPONDS.

Artificial ponds for the rearing of fish and supplying them when wanted for the table, were common in ancient times. The luxurious Romans possessed such preserves, and we learn that one belonging to Lucullus sold after his decease for upwards of £24,000. Comparatively little has been done in modern times in the way of establishing artificial ponds, and those which exist are chiefly to be found in noblemen's preserves. Yet artificial fishponds may, with little or no trouble, be made to yield a large and regular supply of fish, and may be constructed at a most insignificant expense in any piece of low-lying waste ground intersected by a rivulet of pure water.

The fish most suitable for ponds are trout, carp, dace, roach, bream, tench, perch, and minnows Eels also thrive in ponds. The size of a pond may be from one to twenty acres; but a piece of water of from two to three acres is considered the most convenient dimensions. Of whatever size, the pond must not be overstocked, and it must not be left too long unfished. Fishponds, to be on the most effective scale, should be in a series of two or three, the water running from the one to the other. This will allow means for periodical cleaning, if required, and for having a choice of fish.

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FISHERIES.

WH

peatedly in cold water, the fibrinous matter which remains consists chiefly of albumen; and is, in its chemical properties, analogous to the clot of blood.' Muscle yields also a portion of gelatine; and the flesh of oxen and of some other animals affords a peculiar substance, of an aromatic flavour, called by Thenaud osmazone. Albumen and gelatine, then, constitute the leading nutritive ingredients in the different kinds of flesh used as food, and it is important to observe that their relative proportions are not very dissimilar in quadrupeds, birds, and fishes, as shewn in the following table. The water was determined by evaporation in a close-covered vessel, or at a temperature below 212° :

HETHER considered with reference to nat- | the muscular parts of animals are washed reural history, manual operations, or economical advantages, the fisheries of Great Britain and Ireland form a theme of considerable interest. To the naturalist, the specific characters of the fish, their food, their change of habitat, and the seasons at which they reproduce their kind, or become proper objects of capture, are points of attractive inquiry; while to the economist, the finding out of the best modes of capture and curing are matters of great importance. The present sheet offers a brief exposition of a branch of our commerce which is not so well understood as it ought to be, either by the general public or the political economist. A complete view of the fishing interests of Great Britain naturally divides itself into two portions, one comprising the food, the other the oil fisheries. Deeming the food question to be of the greatest importance, we prefer devoting the largest part of our space to a review of that particular branch of our national industry-the whale and seal fisheries being of comparatively minor public interest.

I. THE FOOD-FISHERIES.

The fisheries of Great Britain and Ireland are

of the greatest importance to the well-being of the people, whether we view them as a source from which may be drawn very large supplies of cheap

and nutritious food, or as an outlet for the remunerative investment of capital, and the employment of a large body of the population. Although the development of our fisheries as a means of commerce is of comparatively modern origin, fish has been used as an article of food from the earliest ages. The rude means of capture at one time adopted, when the object was only to satisfy individual wants, have long since been superseded by a machinery of nets and boats capable of capturing the finny tribe in quantities sufficiently numerous to supply in some degree a portion of the foodwants of our rapidly increasing population, and to make our fisheries no mean source of national commerce; and modern enterprise is doing much to increase these supplies, by adding to the power of capture, and sailing to greater distances, in order to find fresh shoals of fish. That there will be an ample demand for the additional fish-food which improved modes of capture may obtain for us, is quite certain, there being an ever-increasing demand for all that can be brought to market.

Fish is a nutritious and generally much esteemed article of diet. It should be cooked as soon as possible after being taken from the water, as it quickly becomes stale. The fish that are whitest and most flaky when boiled, such as turbot, soles, cod, haddock, whiting, and flounders, are easiest to digest; those which abound in oily matter, such as salmon, herrings, and eels, are if more nutritious, not so digestible. As to the relative nutritive properties of fish and other animal food, Professor Brande states that 'when

100 Parts of
Muscle of

Beef....

Water.

Albumen
or Fibrin.

Mutton............71

22

Chicken......... 73

20

..74

20

Veal........

75

19

76

19

79

14

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Pork......
Cod...
Sole...........
Haddock..........82

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