SPORT.
BATTLES WITH GIANT FISH. By F. A. Mitchell Hedges, F.L.S., F.R.G.S., F.Z.S. (Duckworth. 21s.)
If one wants two evenings' exciting adventure, this book is to be recommended without any reservation. From start to.finish there is not a sign of the bafflement and drag of care which we all experience in our lives of humdrum safety. The sport of the adventurers is never impeded through lack of funds wherewith to provide the necessary equipment of expensive tackle ; and these happy people spend day after day, week after week, off the golden shores of the Pacific and the South Atlantic, in a world of warmth, beauty, colour, and, above all, of sunshine. It all brings back the days of Swiss Family Robinson, when inky and Euclid-ridden little readers stole for half-hours at a time into that island where everything was to be found, especially pious moralizings, dear to the heart of children. Mr. Mitchell Hedges is the most amazing fisherman. He must be the greatest fisherman who ever lived. He interprets the world in terms of fishing. He fishes the sun up ; he fishes the four seasons round. Give him a date, and he will immediately recall the deep sea monster landed that day, its weight and length, the tackle used. It is impossible to describe the excitement which the reader shares with him in the descriptions of these marine battles. They are battles in another world, or at least in this world of millions of years ago when all was steaming and over-pregnant with colossal life—an age of loathsome fecundity. What fascinated us most was the author's capture, by rod and line, of giant sting-rays, huge bird-like fish whose poisonous tails deal agonizing death. The record capture with rod and line was a shark weighing 2371 lbs. With his special tackle—including hooks of 14 lbs. weight, made of half-inch spring steel—the author captured a 5,700 lb. sawfish. One monster bit through a half-inch steel hook and escaped. After reading of these exploits, we agree with Mr. Mitchell Hedges that the Mesozoic Age still lingers in the depths of the ocean. Lady Richmond Brown, who accompanied the author, has added greatly to the reader's pleasure by her excellent photographs.
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