200 FISHK8 AND FISHING. 



joined in the opinion that it is really no fable, as to 

 tench being the Esculapius of fish ; for here was an 

 example before our eyes, of a fish being wounded, 

 and immediately instinct directed him to seek a re 

 medy. 



As a lad, I thought myself fully acquainted with 

 angling, for I had seen little or nothing of fly-fishing ; 

 beyond dibbing, my success was so great as a bottom 

 fisher, that my father's pocket suffered very consider 

 ably, as I caught much more fish than could be con 

 sumed by our family ; and my father sent, as presents 

 to our numerous friends in London ; to one a bagful of 

 eels, to another a brace of carp, to a third a large pike, 

 to a fourth a dish of perch, to a fifth six or eight 

 dozen of gudgeons, and these presents were often 

 varied, and repeated ; and he always paid the car 

 riage, and seldom had his baskets, &c., returned. I 

 had several trunks for keeping fish alive, so that I 

 could make up a handsome present of fish at almost 

 any time. In conversation with a lady of rank, to 

 whoml had been introduced on oneof my visits to town, 

 the subject of -angling was mentioned by her, and she 

 said there were many river fish that she had never 

 seen ; I replied, that I would send her a brace of every 

 fish that 'inhabited our waters, with their respective 

 names marked on them ; which I did, with a dish of 

 gudgeons and a bagful of eels. 



