SEA ANGLING 45 



silvery skin attached ; also thin strips of tripe. Sand-eels, which 

 may be dug out of the sand near the water's edge, are very useful, 

 and may be cut into pieces for baiting small hooks. Further, a 

 large number of artificial baits are employed in various kinds of 

 sea fishing, but as these are not essential for the work we have in 

 hand we do not propose describing them in detail. 



Now let us suppose that we are about to try .our luck at sea 

 angling, on some rocky coast, such as that of Devon and Cornwall, 

 our object- being to determine, as far as possible, what species of 

 fishes frequent the immediate neighbourhood of the shore. And 

 this is not all ; for, when fishing with rod and line on such a coast, 

 it frequently happens that we land some species of crab that has 

 been attracted to our bait. The ordinary angler would regard such 

 crab as an intruder, and, we are sorry to say, would often consider 

 it his duty to crush the unfortunate crustacean beneath his foot. 

 But it is far different with the naturalist. He favourably regards 

 all creatures from which something may be learnt, and is as anxious, 

 as a rule, to gather information concerning the habitats of one class 

 as of another. In fact, we may go still further, and combine crab 

 fishing with ordinary angling, both in one and the same expedition, 

 by letting a small crab-pot down into deep water among the rocks, 

 and allowing it to remain while the angling is proceeding. 



We select a spot where there are several feet of water close to 

 a perpendicular rock, varied and broken by numerous holes and 

 crevices, in which various species of fishes and crustaceans habitually 

 hide. 



Such a situation is an ideal one for a young naturalist, for not 

 only does he obtain the greatest variety of species here, but the 

 takings will surely include some of those remarkably interesting 

 rock-dwelling fishes that differ from our ordinary food fishes in so 

 many points of structure, all of which, however, display some inter- 

 esting adaptation to the habits and habitats of the species concerned. 



Our apparatus consists of nothing more than rod and line, one 

 or two small leads, a supply of hooks on gut snoods, a box of bait, 

 and a waterproof bag in which to pack the specimens we desire to 

 preserve. 



We first determine the depth of the water by means of a lead 

 on the end of the line, and then tie the hook on the end with 

 a small lead a few feet above it, and fish in such a manner that the 

 hook is just on the bottom, or, if the bottom is covered with weeds, 

 the hook should be kept just clear of fouling them. 



