PREFATORY NOTE. 



IT is not my intention to inflict upon the reader a formal 

 Preface. It would, however, be ungrateful were I not to 

 take an opportunity of acknowledging the aid and informa- 

 tion kindly afforded by various Members of the French 

 Government ; also by Professor Coste of the French In- 

 stitute ; M. Coumes of Strasbourg ; the Authorities at 

 Huningue ; the Intendant of the Jardin d' Acclimatisation 

 of Paris ; Mr. Robert Buist ; Mr. John Cleghorn ; Jonathan 

 Couch, Esq. of Polperro ; Mr. H. Dempster ; Thomas Ash- 

 worth, Esq. ; Mr. Kobert Cowie ; Mr. R P. Scott ; Edward 

 Cooke, Esq., RA, to whose kindness I am indebted for 

 the characteristic Sketches of " The Angler Fish" and " Jack 

 in his Element." 



So far as I am aware, this is the first work in which an 

 attempt has been made to bring before the public in one view 

 the present position and future prospects of the Food Fisheries 

 of Great Britain. Great pains have been taken to obtain re- 

 liable information and correct statistics, but in so wide a field 

 of labour considerable allowance must be made for errors. 



The excellent Fish Groups have been arranged and drawn 

 by Mr. Stewart, the Natural History draughtsman of this 

 city ; while the Sketches of Fishing Scenes on Lochfyne and 

 elsewhere are by Mr. J. R Prentice. 



EDINBURGH, I8fh October 1865. 



