94 SEA-FISH. 
appalling climbs, scrambling to their favourite 
grounds over all but perpendicular faces of slippery 
rock, creeping along ledges a few inches broad, 
from which a single false step would plunge them 
among the sharks a hundred feet below. The 
baskets which they bring back from these perilous 
spots certainly include some magnificent fish, 
among them gropers of fifty pounds, schnappers of 
ten, and large traglin and leather-jackets. 
In our own country the dangers are fortunately 
at very much less, if only by the sharks, an 
home appreciable item in the more southern 
waters. 
At the same time, rock-climbing always calls for 
a steady eye and foot, as well as some attention 
to local tides and vagaries in the way of currents; 
else many ridiculous situations, if nothing graver, 
are sure to result. 
In fishing from sandy beaches, the whole pro- 
cedure is of course very much simpler, the danger is 
practically absent, and the sport is, as a rule,inferior. 
The localities on the British coasts that offer 
Locali- facilities for rock-fishing are somewhat 
ties limited, as, though many of our counties 
are more or less rock-bound, there are not every- 
where positions easily reached and giving the 
angler command over water of sufficient depth to 
harbour desirable fish. The most advanced school 
of rock-fishers at home are the Aberdeen men, who 
have for many years been formed into an associa- 
tion ; indeed, I am told there are at the present 
time as many as three such clubs of local anglers. 
Be this as it may, the Amateur Rock- Fishers’ 
Association was, the subsequent birth and growth 
of the British Sea-Anglers’ Socicty notwithstanding, 
