6 Cooperation of Anglers. Chapt. i. 



to communicate freely through the medium of special 

 papers like "The Field" or "Land and Water." Thinking 

 that a few words on fishing were calculated to increase 

 the interest of pisciculturists! and to induce the co- 

 operation of anglers, I was much tempted in my report on 

 pisciculture, written two years ago, to introduce a chapter 

 on the subject, but finally thought best to suppress it, as 

 being somewhat out of place in an official document. I 

 write therefore also in the hope that anglers and editors 

 may both lend their kindly aid from time to time towards 

 increasing the knowledge of the habits of the -fishes found 

 in Indian waters, and may consequently forward the 

 efforts of those seeking the best means of increasing the 

 supply of this sort of food. 



Still I write primarily for fishermen. In doing this 

 however it is a little difficult to know how to write. 

 Though there are many good fishermen in India there 

 are also many, who from early absence from England, 

 know practically very little about it, although they are 

 ready enough to take to it, if they can only see their 

 way to getting sport. I have therefore two opposite 

 courses to follow simultaneously. I have to make myself 

 intelligible to the novice, and at the same time to endea- 

 vour not to weary the fisherman by re-writing what he 

 has already read in different shape in some half dozen 

 of the six hundred books already alluded to. By way 

 of getting safely through this Scylla and Caribdis I must 

 commence by presuming my readers knowledge of books 

 such as, A Book on Angling, by Francis Francis, Pub- 



