CHAPTER I. 
NATURAL IJISTORY NOTES ON THE CHIEF SEA- 
FISH, AND BAITS. 
WITHOUT urging for one moment the necessity 
of reading deeply of the anatomy of sea-fish—the 
exact number of their fin-rays or of the scales 
along the lateral line, the nature of their pyloric 
appendages and air-bladder, and all the rest of it— 
I am nevertheless certain that the angler who is at 
pains to acquaint himself with certain matters in 
their life-history will reap the rewards of his study. 
Sport of any form is in a measure inseparable from 
natural history ; and if this holds true of shooting 
or hunting, it surely applies with additional force 
to fishing, which calls for some knowledge of the 
individual tastes of the fish, of the depth, time of 
year and hour of the day at which they are most 
likely to take the natural or artificial bait. In 
addition to the utility of such knowledge, we must 
not lose sight of the interest it lends the day’s 
fishing. There are “sportsmen” of course who 
cannot be “bored” with the habits of the fish, 
whose sole enjoyment consists in being conveyed 
to the grounds and having their hooks baited and 
their fish unhooked by the boatman. For these 
