CHAPTER XXXIV 



SOME GAME FISHES OF AFRICA, AUSTRALIA, 

 NEW ZEALAND AND NEW SOUTH WALES 



' By the way, old Cotton's instructions, by which I hoped to qualify myself 

 for the gentle society of anglers, are not worth a farthing for this meridian.' 



Bedgauntlet, 



IN the enormous coast-line of Africa the angler may expect 

 to find a variety of possibilities, and he will not be disap* 

 pointed, as there are in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, the Eed 

 and Mediterranean Seas prototypes of all the great game fishes 

 of the world : the tnnas, bonitos, great crevall^, ponderous repre- 

 sentatives of the sea-bass, white and black sharks of all kinds, 

 the black grouper, and off Madagascar, one of the most wonder- 

 ful of all the swordfishes, the sailflsh, the resplendent dorsal fin 

 of which opens up like a sail, and is painted all the colours of 

 the rainbow. It is more like some radiant tapestry than a fin, 

 to be folded up and stowed away, or elevated at pleasure. 



I passed Tangier one wishful day, but have never fished there. 

 There are fishes to be had — ^wrasse, bass, red and gray mullet, 

 and offshore is the highway of the tunny and swordfish. In 

 Morocco you may go to the Wad Tensift and angle for barbel. 



The greatest tunny fishery in the world is found not far off 

 the North African coast. Its rivers abound in strange fish of 

 stranger habit, yet with all the wealth of material there is less 

 attention paid to angling than in almost any other region of the 

 world. Fishes are caught, but with very little idea of sport, 

 except where Englishmen are stationed at the various ports. 

 In Natal there are fishing clubs, and the inherent love of sport 

 crops out ; but the coast at Natal is not a particularly happy one for 



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