62 THE COMPLETE ANGLER 



And those very few that are left, that make conscience 

 of the laws of the nation, and of keeping days of abstin- 

 ence, will be forced to eat flesh, or suffer more incon- 

 veniences than are yet foreseen. 



VEN. Why, Sir, what be those that you call the 

 fence-months ? 



Pise. Sir, they be principally three, namely, March, 

 April, and May ; for these be the usual months that 

 salmon come out of the sea to spawn in most fresh rivers.* 

 And their fry would, about a certain time, return back 

 to the salt water, if they were not hindered by weirs and 

 unlawful gins, which the greedy fishermen set, and so 

 destroy them by thousands ; as they would, being so 

 taught by nature, change the fresh for salt water. He 

 that shall view the wise statutes made in the 13th of 

 Edward the I., and the like in Richard II., may see 

 several provisions made against the destruction of fish : 

 and though I profess no knowledge of the law, yet I am 

 sure the regulation of these defects might be easily 

 mended. But I remember that a wise friend of mine 

 did usually say, " that which is everybody's business is 

 nobody's business." If it were otherwise, there could 

 not be so many nets and fish, that are under the statute 

 size, sold daily amongst us ; and of which the con- 

 servators of the waters should be ashamed. 



But, above all, the taking fish in spawning-time may be 

 said to be against nature ; it is like the taking the dam 

 on the nest when she hatches her young : a sin so against 

 nature that Almighty God hath in the Levitical law made 

 a law against it (Deut. xii. 6, 7). 



But the poor fish have enemies enough besides such 

 unnatural fishermen, as namely, the otters that I spake 



* Walton is wrong in his natural history. No salmon spawn 

 in April and May ; a very small number of late fish spawn in 

 March. Early salmon spawn in September; but the general 

 spawning season is from the middle of November to the middle of 

 December. E. 



