THE ANTIQUITY OF FLY- 

 FISHING 



THE Art of Fishing with the Artificial Fly is 

 of much higher antiquity than is generally 

 imagined ; as will be seen by the following 

 extract from ^Elian, a Greek author, who 

 flourished more than sixteen hundred years 

 ago, and who is quoted by Walton, in his 

 1 COMPLETE ANGLER ' ; though, most probably, 

 he had never read his works, as a passage so 

 interesting could not well have escaped his 

 notice. We are informed by his biographer, 

 that Walton had not the advantage of a learned 

 education, and that he quoted chiefly from the 

 translations of Topsel and others. 



EXTRACT FROM .ELIAN. 



1 1 have been informed of the following 

 method of fishing, practised in the river 

 Astraeus, which flows between Bersea and 

 Thessalonica. The fishes bred here are tinged 

 with many colours, and provide themselves 

 food from the indigenous insects which flutter 

 about the river. 



* Nor are these flies of the same species with 

 37 



