44 
FISHES. 
English amusement. The inhabitants of the 
British isles alone, with their colonial descendants, 
cultivate all matters pertaining to rural sports, 
of whatsoever kind they may be, but particularly 
hunting, shooting, and angling, with that per- 
severing ardour, comprising active practice, and 
passionate study, which leads to perfection. In 
their efforts to acquire the surest, most amusing, 
most health-giving, and, I may say, most elegant 
modes of pursuing and capturing their game, be 
it the produce of field or fiood, they call to their 
aid several auxiliary studies, amongst which stands 
prominent one of the pleasantest of all, viz., that 
of the natural history of animals, and of other 
things ranking not so high in the scale of crea- 
tion.”^ 
Angling may be considered as divided into 
three branches, which rise above each other in 
the skill required for their successful conduct, 
and therefore in the estimation of those who 
practise them. All require for their performance 
the use of a rod, a line, a hook, and a bait. The 
first is bottom-fishing, which nearly resembles 
that mode of sea-fishing with the handline, which 
we have just described. It consists of angling 
near the bottom of the water, with worms, 
gentles, bread, paste, and other animate and in- 
animate baits ; it is the simplest, most common, 
and most primitive mode of angling, first 
learned, and last forgotten.” 
Trolling is more difficult. It is performed in 
mid-water, that is, neither at the surface, like 
fly-fishing, nor at the bottom, as the preceding 
kind. More than one hook is required, and 
* Ephemera on Angling, p. 6. 
