ICHTnrOLOGY. 19 



corpore sano, especially when his life is surrounded by 

 many of the debilitating accessories of civilization, or for 

 the most part spent in sedentary or mentally exhausting 

 occupations. I hold, therefore, that the angler is justified 

 in dealing with fish as he does, and that no fair charge of 

 cruelty lies against him, unless he exercises unnecessary 

 cruelty. Recently Lord Justice Kelly, in an appeal case 

 in reference to cock " dubbing," laid it down that, " in 

 his opinion, any act which caused an animal pain, and 

 was not absolutely necessary for the future well-being 

 of that animal, constituted cruelty within the meaning 

 of the Act," i.e. Martin's Act, as it is called. If the 

 learned Judge's definition and ruling is to stand, it 

 may be well for a moment to contemplate the result. Of 

 course, it would at once settle the vivisection question, 

 i.e. unless the Vivisection Act overrules it; hunting, shoot- 

 ing, and fishing (presuming for a moment that fish feel 

 pain) could at once be stopped by the prosecution of 

 sportsmen ; terriers' ears must, be cropped no longer, or, 

 more strictly speaking, no shorter; horses, mules, and 

 donkeys must not be broken in for draught or saddle 

 purposes or circuses ; lambs' tails must not be cut ; and 

 so forth ad infinitum, because these pursuits and practices 

 are " not absolutely necessary for the future welfare " of 

 the animals affected by them. What may be the sensa- 

 tions of fish in dying a lingering death when taken from 

 the water, of course we cannot tell. They certainly can- 

 not be pleasant, and therefore the thoughtful angler, 

 when he does not wish to preserve his fish alive for any 

 particular purpose, will give them a tap on the top of the 

 head directly on landing them. By the way, how strange 

 it is that Mr. Freeman, who declaims so acridly against 



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