INTRODUCTORY NOTE 



creep on the bottom, to rise through the water to 

 the surface to attain maturity ; a variety of minnows 

 and young fish food; crawfish, helgramites, lamper 

 eels, frogs, grasshoppers and caterpillars. 



It will be seen that if man permits nature to work 

 its own way, these creatures, by feeding on each 

 other ( though in some instances multiplying in vast 

 numbers), are kept down to a reasonable extent, 

 and the balance of living things is about evened up. 

 It is rare indeed in our day to find a glut, or an over- 

 production of any one species of fish, or fish food, 

 like we used to observe in days gone by. Numer- 

 ous reasons may be cited to explain this, but the 

 principal reason is a decided shrinkage of fish food, 

 these live baits being captured in great quantities 

 for the ever-increasing army of anglers. Ten per 

 cent., possibly, are consumed by game fish; the rest 

 destroyed. Similar conditions prevail with sea 

 food used in marine fishing. 



Fresh-water fish food can now be procured only 

 in limited quantities. Minnows and frogs are pro- 

 tected — as they should be — by stringent laws. 



In times past live minnows were ten cents a score ; 

 now they are fifty cents, and not always to be got; 

 indeed, they are in places difficult to procure at any 

 price. Thirty crawfish are a fair day's bait for bass 

 fishing; after a few days' hunt, the brook from 

 which you get them becomes wofully scarce if other 

 anglers seek supplies from the same place. In 



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