CHAPTER I. 



TROUT. 



SCARCITY OF TROUT REASONS FOR PRESERVATION 

 POACHING RIVER KEEPERS INCREASE OF FISHERMEN 

 POLLUTION OF RIVERS TROUT FISHING A GOOD 

 FISHERMAN SEASONS FOR WEATHER WATER TEM- 

 PERATURE WHAT FISH TAKE THE FLY FOR PROOFS OF 

 FALLACIES OF WRITERS. 



I AM afraid that it is quite certain that trout fishing in 

 England and Wales is getting worse every year. At most 

 of the favorite places of resort of a fisherman, where, 

 fifteen years ago, on a good day, he was tolerably certain 

 of filling his basket, he is lucky now if he succeeds in 

 killing two or three brace of trout, besides, in all proba- 

 bility, finding numbers of rods flogging the water in every 

 direction, and yet preservation, at least as far as theory 

 goes, is carried on to a much greater extent now than 

 formerly. There are many reasons for this state of things, 

 the chief of which, I think, are 



1st That poaching is carried on to a much greater 

 extent now than formerly. 



B2 



