The World of Fishes 



fishes recognising, or seeming to recognise, human 

 beings. It is open to doubt how far the " recog- 

 nition " meant more than an expectation of some- 

 thing to eat, following upon certain familiar 

 sounds. 



Fishes good for food these are and have 

 been through ages by far the most important 

 to man. Other kinds may be dangerous or 

 interesting. But without the " Food-fishes " of 

 the Ocean the difficulties of feeding mankind 

 would be largely increased. 



For they are always there. They come 

 without exertion on our part. No sowing, no 

 digging, no tending of the waters, is needed 

 to bring forth the mighty harvest. Year after 

 year, multitudes past imagination come into ex- 

 istence, and any number of them may be had 

 for the trouble of taking. 



All that man did in the past was his level best, 

 by reckless destruction, to kill the goose which 

 lays the golden eggs, to exterminate the creatures 

 which are to him of so incalculable a value. 



Of late years some steps have been taken in 

 the other direction, some efforts have been made 

 towards the preservation of fish and the culture 

 of spawn. But much more remains to be done. 

 The incessant use of line and net and trawl 



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