206 FISHING GOSSIP. 
as a legacy to some of our more gifted or cosmopolitan 
contemporaries, and confine ourselves here to a branch 
of the art of puff falling strictly within our own scope, 
and which we will denominate the “puff piscatorial.” 
Mr. FREDERICK ALLIES, of the good and ancient town 
of Worcester, who, besides being a vendor of fishing 
rods and tackle, is, as he describes himself, “ Piscicul- 
turist,” and “Inventor and Maker” (whatever these 
titles may signify), has issued to his friends and ad- 
mirers in general a hand-bill—or, as it were, manifesto 
— setting forth the various merits of the Artificial 
Grasshopper, in the manufacture of which, it seems, 
he considers he has a sort of pre-eminence or mono- 
poly, though on what grounds we confess we do not 
quite understand, as we happen to know that the 
invention was first introduced to the Teme grayling- 
fishers, by Mr. Jones of Ludlow, some five-and-forty 
years ago, and as Mr, Allies’ insects appear to be in 
all respects very much like those sold by many other 
fishing-tackle dealers. As we are always ready, how- 
ever, to lend a helping hand to modest merit when 
we meet with it, we will give Mr. Allies the benefit 
of our pages gratis, and circulate his hand-bill for 
him, capitals, italics, and all— 
“Not wholly free, and yet as ’twere for nought "— 
only (as Mr. Allies would say) begging our readers on 
no account to read it, because it is so very funny ! 
