TREATISE ON FLY-FISHING. 25 



humour of the dialogue ; the lovely scenes which 

 it delineates ; the enchanting pastoral poetry which 

 it contains ; or, the fine morality it so sweetly in- 

 culcates ; has hardly its fellow in any of the 

 modern languages." 



These remarks are very applicable to other 

 treatises which have appeared on the same subject, 

 more especially those of Shaw, Scrope, and 

 Sir H. Davie ; indeed, there are few works more 

 beautifully written than " Salmonia," wherein 

 the talented author thus alludes to his favorite 

 recreation. 



" The search after food, is an instinct belonging 

 to our nature ; and from the savage in his rudest 

 and most primitive state, who destroys a piece of 

 game, or a lish, with a club or spear to man in 

 the most cultivated state of society, who employs 

 artifice, machinery, and the resources of various 

 other animals to secure his object, the origin of 

 the pleasure is similar, and its object the same ; 

 but that kind of it requiring most art, may be said 



