The conversational manner and discursive style were chosen as best suited to the state of health of the Author, who was incapable of considerable efforts and long-continued attention; and he could not but have in mind a model, which has fully proved the utility and popularity of this method of treating the subject-The Complete Angler, by Walton and Cotton. The characters, chosen to support these Conversations, are-HALIEUS, who is supposed to be an accomplished fly fisher; ORNITHER, who is to be regarded as a gentleman generally fond of the sports of the field, though not a finished master of the art of angling; POIETES, who is to be considered as an enthusiastic lover of nature, and partially acquainted with the mysteries of fly fishing; and PHYSICUS, who is described uninitiated as an angler, but as a person fond of inquiries in natural history and philosophy. These personages are of course imaginary, though the sentiments attributed to them, the Author may sometimes have gained from recollections of real conversations with friends, from whose society much of the happiness of his early life has been derived; and in the portrait of the character of HALIEUS, given in the last dialogue, a likeness, he thinks, will not fail to be recognized to that of the character of a most estimable Physician, ardently beloved by his friends, and esteemed and venerated by the public. He has limited his description of fish to the varieties of the Salmo most usual in the fresh waters of Europe, and which may be defined as a genus having eight fins, the one above the tail fleshy, and without spines. It is to be hoped M. Cuvier's new work on fishes will supply accurate information on this genus, which is still very imperfectly known. Laybach, Illyria, CONTENTS. Vindication of fly-fishing-Poem in praise of Walton-Dis- tinguished anglers-Fishing, a natural, philosophical, and scientific pursuit-Scenery-Fish possessed of little sen- sibility-Praise of fly-fishing-Field-sports related to nat- Trout fishing-Flies-May-fly and gray drake-Alder fly- periment on trout by Mr. Tonkin of Polgaron-Cause of the varieties of trout-Mule fish-Crossing the breed-Impreg- nation of the ova of fish-Experiment of Mr. Jacobi on this point-Causes that hasten or retard the maturity of the ova Scenery-Loch Maree-Eagles-The inn-The river Ewe- 99-132 |