204 SALMONIA. [eighth day. 



large trout — at least he is not much less than 21bs. 

 I have landed him ; shall I keep him ? 



HAL. — As you please : he is as good as he ever 

 was, or ever will be in this water. 



PHYS. — There are now more yellow flies out than 

 I have seen before this season. They have appeared 

 suddenly, as if sprung from that large alder. Though 

 you gave us in a former conversation some account of 

 the flies used in fishing, yet I hope you have not 

 forgot your promise, to favour us with some more 

 details on this subject, which, both as connected 

 with angling, and with a curious part of natural 

 history, is very interesting. 



HAL. — I wish it was in my power to give you 

 information from my own experience, but, I am sorry 

 to say, this has been very limited; and though the 

 English are peculiarly the fly fishing nation, yet our 

 philosophical anglers have not contributed much to 

 this department of science, and what has been 

 done is principally by foreigners, amongst whom 

 Swammerdam, Reaumur, and above all De Geer, are 

 pre-eminent. To attempt to collect and apply the 

 knowledge accumulated by these celebrated men, 

 would carry us far beyond the limits of a day's 

 conversation ; and as a great proportion of the 

 insects that fly, walk, or crawl, are the food of fishes, 

 a dissertation, or discourse on this subject, would be 



