The Fourth Day 123 



always swims or rests himself alone, and never 

 swims in shoals or with company, as Roach and 

 Dace, and most other fish do : and bold, because 

 he fears not a shadow, or to see or be seen of any- 

 body, as the Trout and Chub, and all other fish do. 



And it is observed by Gesner, that the jaw-bones, 

 and hearts, and galls of Pikes, are very medicinable \ 

 for several diseases, or to stop blood, to abate fevers, j 

 to cure agues, to oppose or expel the infection of / 

 the plague, and to be many ways medicinable and / 

 useful for the good of mankind : but he observes, 

 that the biting of a Pike is venomous, and hard to 

 be cured. 



And it is observed, that the Pike is a fish that 

 breeds but once a year; and that other fish, as 

 namely Loaches, do breed oftener : as we are certain 

 tame Pigeons do almost every month ; and yet the 

 Hawk, a bird of prey, as the Pike is a fish, breeds 

 but once in twelve months. And you are to note, 

 that his time of breeding, or spawning, is usually 

 about the end of February, or, somewhat later, in 

 March, as the weather proves colder or warmer : 

 and to note, that his manner of breeding is thus : 

 a he and a she Pike will usually go together out of 

 a river into some ditch or creek ; and that there the 

 spawner casts her eggs, and the melter hovers over 

 her all that time that she is casting her spawn, but 

 touches her not. 



I might say more of this, but it might be thought 

 curiosity or worse, and shall therefore forbear it; 

 and take up so much of your attention as to tell you 

 that the best of Pikes are noted to be in rivers ; 

 next, those in great ponds or meres ; and the worst, 

 in small ponds. 



But before I proceed further, I am to tell you, that 

 there is a great antipathy betwixt the Pike and some , 

 frogs : and this may appear to the reader of Du- 



