270 ANGLERS' EVENINGS. 



The earliest American book upon angling of which I 

 can find any record is called a " Memoir (an authentic 

 historical) of the Schnykill Fishing Company of the State 

 of Schitykill, from its establishme7it on that romantic stream 

 near Philadelphia, in the year 1732, to the present time. 

 It was published in Philadelphia in 1830. Dr. Bethune 

 says, " This is an amusing account of a very ancient 

 fishing club, founded by a few of the original settlers. In 

 the list of names are many of high distinction, and the 

 association still exists." Few, if any, angling works were 

 published in America during the eighteenth century, and 

 indeed as already stated, taking the whole of American 

 angling literature, it only includes up to this date twelve 

 books upon the subject proper, and three upon the 

 natural history of fishes. The angling books include 

 one by Mr. Pryme, entitled, I go a-Fishing. This is one 

 of the most charming books I have ever read. What 

 Mr. Pryme had done for American Angling Life, Mr. 

 W. Henderson has more recently done for Britain, in his 

 beautiful book entitled " My Life as an Angler." The 

 subject of pisciculture is of such importance, that a 

 reference to the work which has already been done in 

 America in the matter of artificial fish-breeding ought 

 not to be omitted here. They have there carried out 

 the system under Livingstone Stone (whose work will 

 well repay perusal), to a perfection and on a scale 

 scarcely possible in this country. I may, however, in 

 this connection call attention to the good work done 

 here by Buckland and by Francis. The latter in his 

 book upon Fish Ctdture describes the trouble taken to 



