The Fifth Day 197 



which, which is his natural bait, when he lies close 

 and unseen in the mud, he draws other smaller fish 

 so close to him, that he can suck them into his 

 mouth, and so devours and digests them." 



And, scholar, do not wonder at this ; for besides 

 the credit of the relator, you are to note, many of 

 these, and fishes which are of the like and more un- 

 usual shapes, are very often taken on the mouths of 

 our sea rivers, and on the sea shore. And this will 

 be no wonder to any that have travelled Egypt ; 

 where, 'tis known, the famous river Nilus does not 

 only breed fishes that yet want names, but, by the 

 overflowing of that river, and the help of the sun's 

 heat on the fat slime which the river leaves on the 

 banks when it falls back into its natural channel, 

 such strange fish and beasts are also bred, that no 

 man can give a name to ; as Grotius in his Sopham^ 

 and others, have observed. 



But whither am \I strayed in this discourse. I 

 will end it by telling you, that at the mouth of 

 some of these rivers of ours, Herrings are so plenti- 

 ful, as namely, near to Yarmouth in Norfolk, and 

 in the west country Pilchers so very plentiful, as 

 you will wonder to read what our learned Camden 

 relates of them in his Britannia. 



Well, scholar, I will stop here, and tell you what 

 by reading and conference I have observed concern- 

 ing fish-ponds. 



