158 THE COMPLETE ANGLER 



sun hath warmed both the earth and water, and so apted 

 them also for generation, that then three x>r four male 

 carps will follow a female ; and that then, she putting 

 on a seeming coyness, they force her through weeds 

 and flags, where she lets fall her eggs or spawn, which 

 sticks fast to the weeds ; and then they let fall their 

 melt upon it, and so it becomes in a short time to be 

 a living fish : and, as I told you, it is thought that the 

 carp does this several months in the year. And most 

 believe that most fish breed after this manner, except 

 the eel. And it has been observed, that when the spawner 

 has weakened herself by doing that natural office, that 

 two or three melters have helped her from off the weeds, 

 by bearing her up on both sides, and guarding her into 

 the deep. And you may note, that though this may 

 seem a curiosity not worth observing, yet others have 

 judged it worth their time and cost to make glass hives, 

 and order them in such a manner as to see how bees 

 have bred and made their honeycombs, and how they 

 have obeyed their king, and governed their commonwealth. 

 But it is thought that all carps are not bred by genera- 

 tion ; but that some breed other ways, as some pikes do. 



The physicians make the galls and stones in the heads 

 of carps to be very medicinable. But it is not to be 

 doubted but that in Italy they make great profit of 

 the spawn of carps, by selling it to the Jews who make 

 it into red caviare ; the Jews not being by their law 

 admitted to eat of caviare made of the sturgeon, that 

 being a fish that wants scales and, as may appear in 

 Lev. xi. 10, by them reputed to be unclean. 



Much more might be said out of him, and out of 

 Aristotle, which Dubravius often quotes in his Discourse 

 of Fishes ; but it might rather perplex than satisfy 

 you : and therefore I shall rather choose to direct you 

 how to catch, than spend more time in discoursing either 

 of the nature or the breeding of this carp, or of any more 



