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PREFACE 



I TAKE this opportunity of heartily thanking the 

 many anglers from Kent to Cornwall who have 

 aided me in my endeavour to obtain trustworthy 

 information concerning various south country trout 

 streams ; and in particular I must express my 

 obligations to the Rev. William Awdry, of Ludger- 

 shall, "Wiltshire, Dr. Comber, Colonel Robert 

 Waller, Captain Beaumont, Mr. Nash, of Canter- 

 bury, the Rev. F. E. Freeman, the Rev. B. T. 

 Thompson, the Rev. L. I. Procter, His Grace the 

 Duke of Bedford, the Rev. T. Bentham, the Earl of 

 Heytesbury, Colonel Mansel, Mr. H. S. Thomas 

 (author of " The Rod in India "), Colonel Buller, 

 and Mr. E. Goble, all of whom have been put to 

 trouble on my behalf, I also desire to acknowledge 

 the kind assistance of my friend Mr. C. E. Taylor. 

 Two things have especially struck me in the course 

 of my inquiries into the condition and the charac- 

 teristics of our south country trout streams. First, 

 the large, and, I am afraid, not decreasing, number 

 of fine waters which are subjected to the most 

 objectionable forms of pollution, and, secondly, the 

 lowering of the springs of various chalk streams by 

 water companies and the like. In not a few 

 instances I have seen the first of these evils ; seen 

 it and even become fully conscious of it by means 



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