64 



and which, of course, I now always use. The 

 best of the kind are made at Limerick, in 

 Ireland." 



Mr. P. Fisher, author of "The Angler's 

 Souvenir," says, in his usual off-hand style, 

 "By whatever name hooks may be called 

 Limerick, Kendal, Carlisle, or Kirby and 

 whatever may be the pretended excellence of 

 this or that particular bend, the great object 

 is, to obtain them well made, neither so soft as 

 to draw out almost straight, like a piece of 

 pin-wire, nor so brittle as to snap on receiving 

 a slight jerk. Before trying them, they ought 

 to be tested; the smaller ones by pulling 

 them with the fingers, and the larger ones by 

 a smart pull when suspended over a wooden 

 peg. The pretended advantages of one kind 

 of bend over another, for hooking and holding 

 fish, remain yet to be confirmed by experi- 

 ence. If the hook be, in other respects, well 

 made, with a fine point and barb, the angler 

 need not be particular about the bend." 



Professor Rennie remarks, "It is reported, 

 that the German Prince Rupert, well known 

 for his experimental skill, in the reign of our 

 Charles I., communicated to Charles Kirby a 

 method of tempering hooks, which remained 

 for that time a secret with Kirby's descen- 

 dants, and even now, the Kirby hooks are 



