18 THE SALMON. 



years, and especially through many dreary close-times, 

 when multitudes of things, doubtless much brighter 

 and less worthy to fade, have been forgotten, or are re- 

 membered but as wearinesses. In short, the whole affaii, 

 concludes the objector, even on your own showing, does 

 not stand to reason — an idea which, perhaps, indignant 

 anglers would prefer to express by saying that reason 

 does not stand to it. 



But all this, it will be said, is ex -parte ; the other side 

 must be heard, or at least looked at ; — in the form of phrase 

 employed in Douglas, You speak a fisher's — hear a fish's 

 voice. To every transaction in angling, there are two 

 parties, one at each end of the apparatus (as Dr. Johnson 

 said, in an unpleasant way, which may be forgiven in 

 consideration of the man having been blind and obese, 

 and having deliberately preferred muddling himself over- 

 night at " The Mitre," to answering in person "the 

 breezy call of incense-breathing morn ;") and what may 

 be sport to one of the parties is certainly death to the 

 other. Admitted — and what then ? Fish, like all the 

 better members of the lower creation, were made to 

 be eaten ; and in order to be eaten, it is necessary 

 (always and carefully excepting the case of oysters) 

 that they should be previously killed. Possibly some- 

 body may be foolish enough to say— for twaddle beais 

 a charmed life— that killing is cruelty, to be avoided, so 

 far as possible, as an unpleasant necessity, not to he 

 sought after as a pleasant sport. A maudlin heresy, 

 born of ignorance and aflfectation. No people in this 

 country, or indeed in Christendom, of whatever sect, 

 rank, or condition, are in a position to charge anglers 



