The Sea Fisherman. By J. C. Wilcocks. (Longmans.)—Mr. Wilcocks wonders
that out of more than five hundred works on angling that have issued from the press not more than three profess to deal with the sub- ject of sea fishing. He has made in this volume a most valuable contri- bution to the neglected art. In fact, we remember no work on fresh- water fishing that for completeness and, as far as we can judge, practical value equals this. The fact is that sea fishing is an amusement prac- tised only by a few, and not one in ten out of these few have any acquaintance with the philosophy of it. The visitor to the sea-side puts himself into the hands of a fisherman, holds a line in his band for some three hours, gets very wet, and probably very sick, and has to pay about half-a-sovereign for his amusement. He has not as much opportunity of exercising skill, which we take to be of the essence of sport, as the boy who catches sticklebacks in a pond. In truth, the skill of the fisherman himself is generally of the most merely empirical kind. Now that so many causes are combining to ruin our rivers, we should recommend the lovers of the gentle craft to turn their attention to the sea. They can- not have a better guide than Mr. Wilcocks.
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