12 best's art of angling. 



On fatal wings the pouncing bittern soars, 

 And wafts her prey frcm the defenceless shores, 

 The watchful halcyons to the reeds repair, 

 And from their haunts the scaly captives bear : 

 Sharp herns and corm'rants too their tribes oppress, 

 A harrass'd race peculiar in distress ; 

 Nor can the muse enumerate their foes. 

 Such is their fate, so various are their woes ! 



CHAP. 11. 



The best Manner of Making and Chusing Hods, 



Lines, Hooks, Sfc, 



THE best time to provide stocks is in the 

 winter solstice, when the trees have shed 

 their leaves, and the sap is in the roots, for after 

 January the sap ascends again into the trunk and 

 branches, at which time it is improper to gather 

 stocks, or tops ; as for the stocks they should be 

 lower grown, and the tops the best rush ground 

 shoots that can be got ; not knotty, but propor- 

 tionable and slender, for if otherwise they will 

 never cast nor strike so well, and the line by rea- 

 son of their unpliableness, must be much endan- 

 gered ; now when both stock and top are gather- 

 ed in one season, and as strait as possible to be 

 got, bathe them over a gentle fire, and never use 

 them till thev are well seasoned, which will be in 

 one year and four months, but longer keeping 

 them will make them better : and for preserving 

 them when made into rods, both from rotting and 

 beipg worm-eaten, rub them over thrice a year 



