66 THE ANGLER'S SOUVENIR. 



FISHER. It is a clever little book, but not of 

 this year's brood ; and the hints and maxims of the 

 author, who modestly styles himself a " bungler," I 

 should think would do credit to any of the adepts 

 of the Houghton Club. I see, from the illustrations, 

 that the members are cased up to the fork in enor- 

 mous boots, and that a smockfrocked or liveried 

 attendant, with a landing-net, is always in waiting 

 to do the honours in introducing the trout to a new 

 element. Where gentlemen "whip" I wish the 

 author would discard the cockneyism next edition 

 with kid gloves on, Jack I am inclined to think 

 will often be as good as his master in securing the 

 fish, and entitled to share the honours of the cap- 

 ture. The angling characters introduced in the 

 illustrations are portraits, 1 understand, of members, 

 of the club. That of the stout gentleman slipping 

 off the bridge on a windy day, is said to be the 

 portrait of an eminent sculptor, and I have heard 

 that he furnished Seymour with the sketch from 

 which the design was made. 



SIMPSON. Have you ever seen any American 

 books on angling, Fisher ? 



FISHER. No. I do not think there are any 

 published. Brother Jonathan is not yet sufficiently 

 civilized to produce anything original on the gentle 

 art. There is good trout-fishing in America, and 

 the streams, which are all free, are much less fished 

 than in our island, "from the small number of 

 gentlemen," as an American writer says, "who are 



