280 FISHES AND FISHING. 



that moveth upon the earth. Man is by nature a 

 carnivorous animal, hence in the rude and unculti- 

 vated state of the human race, the support of their 

 lives and that of their families depended upon their 

 skill in the chase, their dexterity and ingenuity in 

 subjecting the feathered and finny tribes to their 

 control and use. Examples of this state of natural 

 liberty have been of late years found to exist, and 

 even at this day there may be undiscovered hordes 

 of uncivilized beings, who individually endure what 

 to civilized man appear hardships, but to the savage 

 is indescribable pleasure, and the chief business of 

 his life. 



" Coarse are his meals, the fortune of the chase, 

 Amidst the running stream he slakes his thirst : 

 Toils all the day, and at th' approach of night, 

 On the first friendly bank he throws him down, 

 Or rests his head upon a rock till morn ; 

 Then rises fresh, pursues his wonted game, 

 And if the following day he chance to find 

 A new repast, or an untasted spring. 

 Blesses his stars, and thinks it luxury." — Addison, 



This yearning after the delights of the chase, the 

 excitement of the dog and gun, and the amusement 

 of angling, in all its branches, derived from our ab- 

 original ancestors, is still so strong upon us, in our 

 civilized state, that few persons can be found who do 

 not feel an almost uncontrollable desire to participate 



