220 FLY FISHING FOR TROUT. 



Last of all comes Halford. His reputation 

 as a pioneer stands high. As a writer it would 

 stand higher had he written less. His later 

 books show a great falling off, and indeed I do 

 not think he ever came up to the level of his 

 first. His prose in that is better than anything 

 he wrote afterwards; clearer, more terse, and 

 more pleasing. But his place does not depend 

 on his style. There are four names which stand 

 above others in the history of the fly : the 

 author of the Treatise, who started it : Cotton, 

 who established it : Stewart, who converted the 

 world to upstream fishing : and Halford, who 

 systematised the dry fly. 



Four and a quarter centuries have gone by 

 since the Treatise appeared. I have tried to 

 give an account of those centuries. I hope 

 there are some readers whom this book will 

 interest. As I have written it, and still more 

 as I have read over what I have written, I have 

 been appalled at the thought that it was of no 

 interest to anyone. Perhaps that is so. But 

 on the other hand I know that there are some 

 who read everything which is written about 

 fishing, for I am of that number, and it is 

 improbable that I am the only one. That is 

 one consolation. And then I believe that there 

 must be others also like myself, whom the 

 history of the sport attracts, who are fascinated 

 by the devices of other days, and who are never 

 weary of going back to the old writers, of 

 reading them again, of getting at their real 



