SOCIETIES OF LONDON AND THE PROVINCES. 69 



believe that their latent sportsmanlike feeling has been so 

 thoroughly developed by good example, that in many 

 cases they would not exhibit poor specimens even if they 

 had the chance. A very strong feeling, emanating it is only 

 right to say with the " Gresham Angling Society," has 

 sprung up of late years against the promulgation of " gross 

 weight competitions," and in favour rather of specimen fish. 

 The scale of weights has been fixed in all cases at a fair size, 

 and in many instances some of the clubs — and notably 

 those old Societies, " The Piscatorial Society " and " The 

 Friendly Anglers " — fix their weight at a very high standard 

 indeed. How different from the old days, when everything 

 in the shape of a fish was bagged, and the waters north, 

 south, east, and west of the compass, were slowly, it is true, 

 but not the less surely, depleted and gradually fished out. 



I may ask now, What are the London Anglers doing 

 for the common good of their brethren .'' and the answer, 

 without giving offence, which I should be sorry enough to 

 do, is one especially difficult to shape nicely. 



In the first place they have established by joint effort, 

 spread over certain districts, three institutions by means of 

 which cheap railway facilities have been obtained from all 

 those companies whose permanent way leads to well-known 

 angling resorts. These are the West Central Association 

 of London and Provincial Angling Societies, The United 

 London Anglers' Central Committee, and the Central 

 Association. 



In the next place, they have founded what should be 

 known as the best and most important work that the 

 London anglers, as a body of sportsmen, have ever at- 

 tempted to give root and birth to, in the shape of "The 

 Anglers' Benevolent Association." This has for its main 

 object the assistance of anglers who through declining 



