CHAPTER X 



OBSERVATIONS OF THE BREAM ; AND DIRECTIONS 

 TO CATCH HIM 



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Pise. The Bream, being at a full growth, is a large 

 and stately fish : he will breed both in rivers and ponds ; 

 but loves best to live in ponds, and where, if he likes 

 the water and air, he will grow not only to be very large, 

 but as fat as a hog : he is by Gesner taken to be more 

 pleasant or sweet than wholesome : this fish is long in 

 growing, but breeds exceedingly in a water that pleases 

 him ; yea, in many ponds so fast as to overstore them, 

 and starve the other fish. 



He is very broad, with a forked tail, and his scales 

 set in excellent order ; he hath large eyes, and a narrow 

 sucking mouth ; he hath two sets of teeth, and a lozenge- 

 like bone, a bone to help his grinding. The melter is 

 observed to have two large melts ; and the female, two 

 large bags of eggs or spawn. 



Gesner reports, that in Poland a certain and a great 

 number of large breams were put into a pond, which 

 in the next following winter were frozen up into one 

 entire ice, and not one drop of water remaining, nor 

 one of these fish to be found, though they were diligently 

 searched for ; and yet the next spring, when the ice 

 was thawed, and the weather warm, and fresh water 

 got into the pond, he affirms they all appeared again. 

 This Gesner affirms ; and I quote my author because 

 it seems almost as incredible as the resurrection to an 



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