THE CARP. 49 



you may catch both. They spawn the begin- 

 ning of Jpril, ^vhen they He mostly in sharp 

 streams; in December he is in his prime, at 

 ^vhich time his gills and head are blackish, 

 and his belly dark grey, studded with black 

 spots. He bites very freely, but is often lost 

 when struck, his mouth being very tender. The 

 ]ar2:est that has been heard of was taken near 

 Ludlow: it was half a yard long, and weighed 

 four pounds six ounces. Angle for him about 

 mid-water, he being much more apt to rise than 

 descend; and when you angle for him alone, 

 and not for the trout also, use a quill float, with 

 the bait about six or seven inches from the 

 ground. He takes brajtd/ings, gilt-tails, meadow 

 Zi/orms, gentles, See. but the most excellent bait 

 for him, in AJarch or xVpril, is the tag-tail. 

 The hook No. 10. 



CYPIlIIUUSf 



The Carp ; is allowed to be the queen of fresh 

 water fishes (as the salmon is the king) and lives 

 longer than any other fish (except tiie eel) out 

 of its element. They breed several times in 

 one year; but their first spawning time is in 

 Alaj/. My. Kay assures us that in Holland they 

 have a speedy way of fattening them, by hang- 

 ing them up in a net in a cellar, and feeding 

 them with bread and milk. Patience is highly 

 necessary for every one to be endowed with who 

 angles for carps, on account of their sagacity 

 and cunning; the haunts are in the deepest parts 

 of ponds and rivers, and in the latter where the 

 streams run slow. When the weather in ^pril, 

 May, Juno, Jul}', and August, is hot and fine, 

 you cannot be too early or late al the sport. 



F 



