233 SALMOXIA. [ninth day. 



which involves a triple source of pleasure — catching 

 a fish, procuring good food for the table, and 

 making a discovery in Natural History, at the 

 same time. Sir Joseph Banks, who w r as always a 

 great amateur of angling, had often this kind of 

 gratification. And to Captain Franklin and Dr. 

 Eichardson, in their expedition to the Arctic Ocean, 

 when they were almost starving, what a delightful 

 circumstance it must have been, to have taken with a 

 fly those large grayling, which they mention, of a new- 

 species, equally beautiful in their appearance, and 

 good for the table ! 



HAL. — When a boy, I have felt an interest in sea 

 fishing, for this reason — that there was a variety of 

 fish; but the want of skill in the amusement — 

 sinking a bait with a lead and pulling up a fish by 

 main force, soon made me tired of it. Since I have 

 been a fly-fisher, I have rarely fished in the sea, and 

 then only with a reel and fine tackle from the rocks, 

 which is at least as interesting an amusement as that 

 of the Cockney fishermen, who fish for roach and dace 

 in the Thames, which I have tried twice in my life, 

 but shall never try again. 



PHYS. — You are severe on Cocknev fishermen, and, 

 I suppose, would apply to them only, the observation 

 of Dr. Johnson, which on a former occasion you 

 would not allow to be just : " Angling is an 



