176 NORTHERN MEMOIRS. 



other men's notions. These are the drones that 

 rob the hive, yet flatter the bees they bring them 

 honey. 



Theoph. I remember the book, but you in- 

 culcate his erratas ; however, it may pass muster 

 among common mudlers. 



Arn. No, I think not; for I remember in 

 Stafford, I urged his own argument upon him, 

 that pickerel weed of it self breeds pickerel. 

 Which question was no sooner stated, but he 

 transmits himself to his authority, viz. Gesner, 

 Dubravius, and Androvanus. Which I readily 

 opposed, and offered my reasons to prove the 

 contrary ; asserting, that pickerels have been 

 fished out of pools and ponds where that weed 

 (for ought I knew) never grew since the non- 

 age of time, nor pickerel ever known to have 

 shed their spawn there. This I propounded 

 from a rational conjecture of theheronshaw, who 

 to commode her" self with the fry of fish, be- 

 cause in a great measure part of her mainte- 

 nance, probably might lap some spawn about 

 her legs, in regard adhering to the segs and 

 bull-rushes, near the shallows, where the fish 

 shed their spawn, as my self and others without 

 curiosity have observed. And this slimy sub- 

 stance adhering to her legs, &c. and she mount- 

 ing the air for another station, in probability 

 mounts with her. Where note, the next pond 



