INTRODUCTORY NOTE 



creep on the bottom, to rise through the water to 

 the surface to attain maturity ; a variety of minnows 

 and young fish food ; crawfish, helgramites, lamper 

 eels, frogs, grasshoppers and caterpillars. 



It will be seen that if man permits nature to work 

 its own way, these creatures, by feeding on each 

 other (though in some instances multiplying in vast 

 numbers), are kept down to a reasonable extent, 

 and the balance of living things is about evened up. 

 It is rare indeed in our day to find a glut, or an over- 

 production of any one species of fish, or fish food, 

 like we used to observe in days gone by. Numer- 

 ous reasons may be cited to explain this, but the 

 principal reason is a decided shrinkage of fish food, 

 these Uve baits being captured in great quantities 

 for the ever-increasing army of anglers. Ten per 

 cent., possibly, are consumed by game fish; the rest 

 destroyed. Similar conditions prevail with sea 

 food used in marine fishing. 



Fresh-water fish food can now be procured only 

 in limited quantities. Minnows and frogs are pro- 

 tected — as they should be — by stringent laws. 



In times past live minnows were ten cents a score ; 

 now they are fifty cents, and not always to be got ; 

 indeed, they are in places difficult to procure at any 

 price. Thirty crawfish are a fair day's bait for bass 

 fishing; after a few days' hunt, the brook from 

 which you get them becomes wofuUy scarce if other 

 anglers seek supplies from the same place. In 



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