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imperfect idea of, while they are compara- 

 tively silent on subjects which are really 

 useful and interesting. Among all the books 

 that have appeared on the subject of angling, 

 I would not give one of them a place in my 

 travelling trunk, except old father Walton 

 and him I value, not from his instructing 

 an angler how to fish, but from the purity 

 and beauty of his reflections and observa- 

 tions, which may teach all men whose minds 

 are not insensible to the charms of Nature, 

 how to enjoy them. 



Reed. I entirely agree with you. The 

 introduction of the dubbing-bag generally 

 acts as a composer, even upon the most 

 wake-rife student, who is anxious to read 

 himself into a " complete angler," and to 

 sally forth to the streams a perfect adept in 

 the " mysteries of the rod and line," war- 

 ranted to kill the first throw. Flies natural 

 often interrupt our repose, but the long- 

 winded, trifling description of flies artifi- 

 cial is very apt to set us to sleep ; and the 



