author's felicitous mode of intermingling with the main subject, some of
the most curious facts and phenomena in natural history and philosophy
so as to familiarize the angler with many causes and effects which
altogether belong to a higher class of reading than that of mere
amusement. All this, too, is done in a simple, graceful, and flowing
style, always amusive, and sometimes humorously illustrative--advantages
which our philosophical writers do not generally exhibit, but which are
more or less evident in every page of Sir Humphry Davy's writings.

_Salmonia_ consists of a series of conversations between four
characters--Halieus,[3] Poietes, Physicus, Ornither. In the "First Day"
we have an ingenious vindication of fly fishing against the well-known
satire of Johnson[4] and Lord Byron, and the following:--

_Halieus._--A noble lady, long distinguished at court for pre-eminent
beauty and grace, and whose mind possesses undying charms, has written
some lines in my copy of Walton, which, if you will allow me, I will
repeat to you:--

Albeit, gentle Angler, I
Delight not in thy trade,
Yet in thy pages there doth lie
So much of quaint simplicity,
So much of mind,
Of such good kind.
That none need be afraid,
Caught by thy cunning bait, this book,
To be ensnared on thy hook.

Gladly from thee, I'm lur'd to bear