152 The Complete Angler 



held very nutritive ; yet, by many, to be hard of 

 digestion. They abound more in the river Po, and 

 in England, says Rondeletius, than other parts: 

 and have in their brain a stone, which is, in foreign 

 parts, sold by apothecaries, being there noted to be 

 very medicinable against the stone in the reins. 

 These be a part of the commendations which some 

 philosophical brains have bestowed upon the fresh- 

 water Perch: yet they commend the Sea- Perch, 

 which is known by having but one fin on his back, 

 of which they say we English see but a few, to be 

 a much better fish. 



The Perch grows slowly, yet will grow, as I 

 have been credibly informed, to be almost two feet 

 long ; for an honest informer told me, such a one 

 was not long since taken by Sir Abraham Williams, 

 a gentleman of worth, and a brother of the angle, 

 that yet lives, and I wish he may : this was a deep- 

 bodied fish, and doubtless durst have devoured a 

 Pike of half his own length. For I have told you, he 

 is a bold fish ; such a one as but for extreme hunger 

 the Pike will not devour. For to affright the Pike, 

 and save himself, the Perch will set up his fins, much 

 like as a turkey-cock will sometimes set up his tail. 



But, my scholar, the Perch is not only valiant to 

 defend himself, but he is, as I said, a bold-biting 

 fish : yet he will not bite at all seasons of the year ; 

 he is very abstemious in winter, yet will bite then 

 in the midst of the day, if it be warm : and note, 

 that all fish bite best about the midst of a warm 

 day in winter. And he hath been observed, by 

 some, not usually to bite till the mulberry-tree 

 buds ; that is to say, till extreme frosts be past the 

 spring ; for, when the mulberry-tree blossoms, many 

 gardeners observe their forward fruit to be past the 

 danger of frosts; and some have made the like 

 observation of the Perch's biting. 



