Vlll INTRODUCTION. 



not felt an interest in knowing more of their 

 pursuits, and how deep sea-fishing is conducted? 

 Or you stand in a great fish-market, and observe 

 the shoals of fish that are brought together 

 spinous, crustaceous and you wonder how they 

 are captured : with what hook and line, what 

 bait and floats are used, or whether they all be 

 netted, great and small. River anglers fre- 

 quently know little of those who do business 

 in great waters; and droll stories are told of 

 would-be anglers purchasing fish at Billings- 

 gate as a trophy of a day's sport, and bringing 

 home salt-water fish as captured up at Chertsey ! 

 There is a story of this kind related by Plutarch 

 of Mark Antony, going one day to angle with 

 Cleopatra ; he was so unfortunate, or unskilful, 

 as to catch nothing. He was much vexed, and 

 gave secret orders to the fishermen to dive 

 under the water, and put fishes that had been 

 taken upon his hook. After he had drawn up 

 two or three, Cleopatra perceived the trick; 

 she pretended, however, to be surprised at his 

 good fortune and dexterity, told it to her friends, 

 and invited them to come and see him fish the 

 next day. They came, and Antony, letting down 

 his line, renewed his yesterday's subterfuge 

 with apparent success ; but Cleopatra had in- 

 structed one of the men to fix upon the hook a 

 hard, dry-salted fish from the Euxine, which 

 Antony confidently brought up, much to his 

 own confusion. 



Without further preface, we offer to our 

 readers a few practical hints on fishing in fresh 

 and salt water, and begin with river-fishing. 



