CHAPTER I 



THE TEEMING LIFE OF THE WATERS 



Many keen fishermen have a particular devotion to 

 that form of the art which is practised from a boat, 

 and among their number I certainly include myself. 

 I have often practised their art in the past, and I 

 practise it still. At any fit and proper time I am 

 prepared to accompany a friend to river, lake, or sea, 

 especially the sea. And so I find delights unknown to 

 the shore fisherman. I am brought closer to creatures 

 which must be watched for if they are to be caught, 

 and I have a greater share in their existence. Fishing 

 is no longer a sedate and tranquil form of recreation, 

 no longer a mere stroll along a river bank, or an 

 excuse for a nap; it becomes something more in the 

 nature of hunting, of the chase. It has attractions and 

 dangers all its own. 



But I do not always confine myself to that common 

 type of fishing which is concerned with catching fish 

 and nothing more. I am after something more than 

 this, and I use special gear. As a naturalist I fish 

 because I seek to garner all the living creatures that 

 dwell in the waters so that I may know them all and 

 learn all about them. The world of waters does not 

 consist only of the fish we use for food. Together with 

 these live other creatures having a place and usefulness 

 of their own. And they are all worth knowing. So, 



