Chap. I. ^be Pracflice of Angling. 261 

 footed Animals, and efpecially Man ; I fliall 

 fubjoin to this Chapter z. poetical Enumeration 

 of their irrational Enemies, which I have 

 (ince met with in reading Mr. Browne's Pifca-- 

 iory Eclogues, 



A Thoufand Foes the finny People chace ; 

 Nor are they fafe from their own kindred Race : 

 Tloe Pike, fell Tyrant of the liquid Plain ^ 

 With ravenous Wafie devours his Fellow Train : 

 Tet^ howfoe*er with raging Famine pin* d^ 

 The Tench he fpares, a falutary Kind, 

 Hence too the Perch, a like voracious Broody 

 Forbears to make this generous Race his Food : 

 Thd* on the common Drove no Bound he finds. 

 But fpreads unmeafur'd Wafie o^er all the Kinds, 

 Nor lefs the greedy Trout andglutlefs Eel 

 Incejfant Woes, and dire DeJiru5iion deal. 

 The lurking Water- Rat /'/^ Caverns preys ^ 

 And in the Weeds the wilely Ontrfiays : 

 The ghafily Newt in muddy Streams annoys, ^ 

 And in fwift Floods the felly Snake deflroys : 

 Toads for the fwarming Fryforfake the Lawn^ 

 And croaking jProgs devour the tender Spawn. 

 Neither the Habitants of Land nor Air^ 

 (So fure their Doom) the fifhy Numbers j^^r^ / 

 The Swan, fair Regent of the Silver Tide, 

 Their Ranks defiroys^ and fpreads their Ruin 



wide : 

 The Duck her Offspring to the River leadsy 

 And on the defiin'd Fry infatiate feeds : 

 On fatal Witigs the pouncing Bittern yc-^rj, 

 And wafts her Prey from the defencelefs Shores : 



The 



