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down stream, and distributed themselves along fully fifteen 

 miles of the river ! Pike from six to eight pounds apiece 

 are now common thi'oughout the whole course of the 

 Darenth, and there are no end of smaller specimens — every 

 holding pool has some of them. Unless a war of extermina- 

 tion is declared against these creatures, trout fishing on 

 the Darenth will be utterly and irretrievably ruined. To 

 run a net through deep pools here and there, once in the 

 season, killing fi'om fifteen to twenty pike, is all very w^ell, 

 but it is utterly insufficient and I appeal to the riparian 

 Owners and tenants of club waters to take up this question 

 and do all that can be done by an unrelenting war to rid 

 the Darenth of these vermin. What they will do in the 

 way of damage to the trout is well exemplified by what has 

 recently occurred within my own knowledge. A small 

 back stream — no larger than a small ditch — and Hot a 

 hundred yards long, contained a goodly stock of yearling 

 trout. They were nice fish, ranging from six to seven 

 inches long, and with the autumn floods they would, no 

 doubt, have gone down to increase the stock in the river. 

 But a wretched little pike, scarcely two pounds in weight, 

 found his way into the nursery, and before his presence was 

 discovered, the whole of the young stock were devoured ! 

 When killed, this hungry pikelet had in his pouch a trout 

 nearly one quarter of a pound weight ! To me, these 

 facts are a source of deep concern, because I foresee that, 

 failing prompt and vigorous action, trout fishing on the 

 Darenth will be ruined. Artificial re-stocking may do 

 something to counteract the ravages of the pike, but it is 

 hopeless work to go on putting young trout in for these 

 rapacious savages to eat. The recent floods have cleared 

 the weed beds away, and a net could now be run through 

 the river with ease. Why not do it? In a short length 

 of less than half a mile of the Darenth five pike have been 

 snared ranging from four pounds to eight pounds, in 

 a few weeks ; and this fact is of itself, a strong proof 

 that the state of affairs is indeed serious. For myself this 

 condition of things is a source of grave anxiety, for I have 

 done all that in me lies to increase the stock of trout, and 



