11 INTRODUCTION. 



number of works that profess to give instruc- 

 tion in various arts that are very deficient; 

 and persons who are really novices may read 

 through them, and know very little more than 

 they did before they began. Such will not, 

 we presume, be the case with this. 



It must be known also, that there are 

 numbers of Anglers who very seldom catch 

 any fish. The Author could give many rather 

 laughable instances ; one only must suffice. 

 He had been, upon one occasion, fishing for 

 roach in the West India Dock, and on leav- 

 ing was overtaken by a party who had been 

 fishing there too. They asked him if he 

 had had any sport; he said, Yes, and held 

 up his handkerchief, in which his bag of fish 

 was tied. One of the party just took it from 

 his hand to feel its weight, and holding it up 

 in the air, said to one of his companions : 

 " Law, Joe, look here ! and we have been at 



