HOOKS. 141 



often. I now never use any hooks for sal- 

 mon fishing, except those which I am sure 

 have been made by O'Shaugnessy, of Lime- 

 rick; for even the hooks made in Dublin, 

 though they seldom break, yet they now and 

 then bend, and the English hooks made of 

 cast steel in imitation of Irish ones, are the 

 worst of all. There is a fly nearly of the 

 same colour as that which is destroyed ; and 

 I can tell you that I saw it made at Limerick 

 by O'Shaughnessy himself, and tied on one 

 of his own hooks. Should you catch with 

 it a fish even of 30 lbs. I will answer for its 

 strength and temper: it will neither break 

 nor bend. 



Poiet. — Whilst I am attaching your kind 

 present to my line, pray tell me how these 

 hooks are made, for I know you interested 

 yourself in this subject when at Limerick. 



Hal. — Most willingly. I have even made 

 a hook, which though a little inferior in 

 form, in other respects, I think, I could 

 boast as equal to the Limerick hooks. 

 The first requisite for hook-making, is to 

 find good malleable iron of the softest and 



