VI PREFACE. 



The conversational manner and discursive 

 style were chosen as best suited to the state 

 of health of the Author, who w^as incapable 

 of considerable efforts and long-continued at- 

 tention ; and he could not but have in mind 

 a model, which has fully proved the utility 

 and popularity of this method of treating the 

 subject — The Com-plete Angler, by Walton 

 and Cotton. 



The characters, chosen to support these 

 Conversations, are — Halieus, who is sup- 

 posed to be an accomplished fly fisher; 

 Ornither, who is to be regarded as a gen- 

 tleman generally fond of the sports of the 

 field, though not a finished master of the art 

 of angling ; Poietes, who is to be considered 

 as an enthusiastic lover of nature, and par- 

 tially acquainted with the mysteries of fly 

 fishing ; and Physicus, who is described un- 



