200 FISnKS 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- 

 medj-. 



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 

 whomi had been introducedononeofmy 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. 



