CRITICAL NOTICES OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. 161 



a resolution which met with the hearty and unanimous concurrence 

 of the meeting. 



After the customary vote of thanks to the chairman had been 

 passed, the company separated, highly gratified with the proceed- 

 ings of the day. 



Previous to the delivery of the address the following gentle- 

 men were elected members of the Society : — Col. Davies, Rev. R. 

 Sargeant, Rev. J. Dudley, Rev. G. E. Larden, Rev. G. Hall, Rev. 

 — Cox, Mr. T. Waters, Mr. S. Dance, Mr. J. Clarke, and Mr. S. 

 Stephens. 



Upwards of one hundred gentlemen subsequently dined together, 

 in commemoration of the event ; the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of 

 the Diocese presided on the occasion, and John Williams, Esq., offi- 

 ciated as Vice-president. Some admirable speeches were delivered 

 during the evening, and it was gratifying to observe the interest 

 which the prosperity of this Society appeared to excite. 



CRITICAL NOTICES OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. 



An Angler's Rambles. By Edward Jesse, Esq., F.L.S., Author of 

 " Gleanings in Natural History." London : John Van Voorst. 



This volume does not pretend to be a regular guide, or book of 

 instruction to the angler, but is an amusing history of fishing excur- 

 sions, with sundry adventures which befel the author in pursuit of 

 his favourite amusement in various parts of the kingdom ; in which, 

 too, will be found much information in the angler's craft. Its style, 

 observational, conversational, and didatic, blended, is well adapted to 

 the subject, and, now and then, an axiom and a reflection forced on 

 the reader during the piscatory mania, help to give variety to the 

 incidents. 



We extract the following interesting observations on the " habits 

 and instinct of fith," as affording a fair specimen of the author's 

 style : — 



" Their gills supplied the place of lungs, and are filled with innumerable 

 very delicate vessels, generally divided into four layers, which are attached 

 to a corresponding number of little bones. The scales are covered externally 

 with a sort of slime, which, as Blumenbach says, appears to be in a great 

 measure excreted from small cavities placed in a line along each side of 

 the body. That fish are capable of hearing, there can now be little doubt, 

 from various experiments which have been tried to ascertain the fact. Their 

 sense of smelling also, is very acute. Little can be known of their mental 

 faculties. Some fish are more cunning and cautious than others, while the 

 perch and trout are readily tamed and become very docile. The miller's 

 thumb (Cottus Gobio) is the only one in England which appears to have any 



VOL. V. — NO. XVII. X 



