AUTHORS IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 85 



water in Cheshire), was an ell long, and weighed thirty-five pounds, 

 which he brought to Lord Cholmondely ; his lordship ordered it 

 to be turned into a canal in the garden, wherein were abundance 

 of several sorts of fish. About twelve months after his lordship 

 draw'd the canal, and found that this overgrown Pike had devoured 

 all the fish, except one large Carp, that weighed between nine and 

 ten pounds, and that was bitten in several places. The Pike was 

 then put into the canal again, together with abundance of fish 

 with him to feed upon, all which he devoured in less than a year's 

 time ; and was observed by the gardener and workmen there, to 

 take the ducks, and other water-fowl under water. Whereupon 

 they shot magpies and crows, and threw them into the canal, 

 which the Pike took before their eyes : of this they acquainted 

 their lord ; who, thereupon, ordered the slaughterman to fling in 

 calves-bellies, chickens-guts, and suchlike garbage to him, to prey 

 upon : but being soon after neglected, he died, as supposed, for 

 want of food." 



Shirley's Anglers Museum, or " the whole art of float and 

 flyfishing," published in 1784, is an unpretentious but well- 

 written and practical little book. A well-executed portrait 

 of " Mr. John Kirby, the celebrated angler," who was 

 Keeper of Newgate and died in 1804, is prefixed to the 

 third edition. The North Country Angler, or "the art 

 of angling as practised in the Northern Counties of Eng- 

 land," which, Mr. Chatto says, " ought to have been called 

 'The North Country Poacher,'" was published in 1786. 

 Best's Concise Ti'eatise on the Art of Angling appeared in 

 17S7, since when eleven further editions have been pub- 

 lished, 1838 being the date of the last. Best was keeper 

 of His Majesty's Drawing Room in the Tower of London, 

 and was evidently a good practical angler. He has no less 

 than 30 pages of his book on the " Prognostics of Weather" 

 to be observed by anglers. 



During this century several editions of what may be 

 called the " standard " authors on angling were issued at 



