LADIES ANGLING FOE CAKP. 39 



Not; very long since, the carp in a certain pond at 

 Windsor were attacked by some mysterious disease 

 wliicli killed many of them, and magnificent fish they 

 were. I fancy I found out the cause, and suggested a 

 remedy, which was immediately to remove the dead and 

 dying fish, having put a grating over the sluice-gates, 

 turning on a current of water so as to completely 

 change the poisonous atmosphere in which the carp had 

 to live. I also suggested that for the future only 

 one-half the number of carp should be kept in the pond, 

 the disease being, as in many other cases, caused by 

 over- stocking. 



I will now give a hint which, I trust, will not be 

 thrown away on owners of country houses, and who 

 have fishponds attached to their domains. In most of 

 these fishponds are many carp which have never been 

 angled for, and about which you will probably get no 

 information from the gamekeepers, gardeners, or other 

 persons. I was staying once in a country house in 

 Hampshire, to which was attached a very carpy-looking 

 pond. The master of the house chaft'ed me about the 

 £sh in it, at the same time saying he would come and see 

 the fishing. I well ground-baited a likely-looking hole, 

 and took the depth with the plummet the night before. 

 At early morning I ascertained that fish w^ere about. 

 When evening came on I asked some ladies staying in 

 the house to come out to fish. Twenty-four hours' 

 judicious ground-baiting had acted as a dinner-bell to 

 these water-foxes. The ladies had tremendous sport, 

 catching very large carp, which on fine tackle gave 

 great excitement. 



I must say the French anglers are most ingenious as 

 regards many points connected wdth fishing, especially in 

 the matter of baits for fish ; and here is a ground-bait for 



