56 Blakey's Book. 



Blakey certainly made some very curious 

 blunders in dates, etc., but I do not think 

 many readers of his work will agree with 

 Messrs. Westwood and Satchell's wholesale 

 condemnation of it in the Bibliotheca Pisca- 

 toria as a " slip-shod and negligent work, 

 devoid of all real utility." In his preface 

 he says : " Whatever imperfections, either 

 of commission or omission, which the 

 volume may display, will, I trust, receive 

 some degree of critical indulgence from 

 the fact that this is the first attempt, as 

 far as my knowledge extends, of anything 

 of the kind in any language whatever." 

 He adds : " I conceive it will prove of 

 interest to all true Piscatorians." It is 

 doubtless well to be precise about dates. 

 I make it a rule to add the date to any 

 undated communication I receive if it is 

 of the slightest importance ; but, after all, 

 a date is only a date, and, if for nothing 

 more than his extracts and translations of 

 foreign works referring to fishing, Blakey's 

 book must always be of interest and utility. 

 In all the great list of the Bibliotheca 

 Piscatoria none is mentioned which covers 

 or attempts to cover this ground as he 

 does. His other works, Hints on Angling, 

 The Anglers Complete Guide to the Rivers 

 and Lakes of 'England \ The Angler's Guide 

 to the Rivers and Lochs of Scotland, The 



