Fly-FiJJiing. 7 



names of the moft diftinguifhed and benevolent of 

 men* might be quoted, whofe delight it was to 

 haunt the ftreams from time to time as our cuftom 

 is men, too, unfurpafled in the varied walks of 

 literature, philofophy, and fcience men of ftrong 

 minds and undoubted honefty, whom no cafuiftry 

 would have induced to ply their favourite art an- 

 other moment, if they felt it was at the expenfe of 

 the undue fufferings of a poor dumb animal. 



Be pleafed to remember I am advocating Fly- 

 fifhing only a very different thing from angling 

 for hours with a worm, which I confefs has no 

 charms for me. 



If a trout be intended for "our food (and who 

 can doubt it who has ever tafted one frem, and 

 firm and pink ?) I am at a lofs to know, how its 

 fufferings are at all likely to be greater when taken 

 by a fly-fimer than in a net. A cold-blooded 

 animal, it is very certain there is lefs of nervous 

 fenfibility connected with it than in the cafe of a 

 warm-blooded one. This has been proved over 

 and over again to the entire conviction of the moft 

 ftubborn of fceptics, when he witnefled how eagerly 



* Need I mention other names than thofe of Paley, Nel- 

 fon, Profeflbr Wilfon of Edinburgh, Sir Humphrey Davy, 

 Benjamin Weft, and Coleridge ? 



