144 SALMONIA. 



Poiet. — I have heard formerly a good 

 angler complain that the Limerick hooks 

 were too heavy and clumsy. He preferred 

 hooks made at Kendal in Cumberland. 



Hal. — I saw twenty years ago, hooks far 

 too heavy made at Limerick ; but this 

 O'Shaughnessy is, I think, a better maker 

 than his father was, and the curve and the 

 general form of the hook is improved. It 

 has now, I think, nearly the best form of a 

 curve for catching and holding, the point 

 protruding a little. The Kendal hook holds 

 well, but is not so readily fixed by the pull 

 in the mouth of the fish. The early Fellows 

 of the Royal Society, who attended to all 

 the useful and common arts, even improved 

 fish hooks; and Prince Rupert, an active 

 member of that illustrious body, taught the 

 art of tempering hooks to a person of the 

 name of Kirby ; under whose name for more 

 than a century, very good hooks were sold. 

 I shall take a walk towards the lake to enjoy 

 a view of its cloud-capped mountains, and I 

 hope on my return to find that you have all 



