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trepyng, bycause in swimmynge they seme as they did crepe: for in swym- 

 ming they crepe, though they synke dowrte to the bottom. Wherof speketh 

 Ambrose in Exameron, and saythe, that bitwene fyshe and water is great 

 nighnes of kynred. For withoute water they may not long lyue ; and they 

 lyue. not longe with onelye brethynge, withoute drawynge of water. And 

 they haue a maner lyknes and kynd of crepyng, for, whyle a fyshe swym- 

 meth, by shrynkyng and drawynge together of his body, he draweth and 

 gathereth hym selfe in to les length, and anone. stretcheth hym selfe agayne, 

 and entendeth to passe forth in the water ; and by that dyligence he putteth 

 the water backewarde, and passeth itself forwarde. Therfore he vseth finnes 

 in swymmynge, as a foule vseth fethers in fleenge. But all other wyse in 

 swymmynge a fyshe mcueth his fynnes fro the hynder parte dounwarde, 

 and as it were with armes, or ores, he clippeth the water, & holdeth it, and 

 stretcheth hym selfe forwarde. But a byrde meueth his fethers vpwarde, and 

 gadereth thayre, and compelleth it to passe out backeward by large stretch- 

 ynge of wyndes, and so by violente puttynge of ayre backewarde the bodye 

 meuith forwarde. And kyndes of fyshe ben dyuerse in many maner wyse 



Some abyde only in the see, and some in ryuers and pondes, and in 



ether freshe waters, and some ben meane bytwene these two maner fyshes, 

 and tome and come now to fresh water, and nowe to sake water to gette 

 them meate. And fishe that come out of the salte water in to freshe haue 

 lykynge in the freshenes therof, and ben fattid : and ayenwarde, and thi 

 fyshe owe abydeth in the see & nowe in freshe water. And manye ryuer 

 fyshes maye not taste saltnesse of the see, for if he catchyth salte water, he 

 dieth sodaynely, and terneth vp the wombe, and fleteeth aboue the water, Sc 

 that is tqken of death in all manner of fyshe both of see and of freshe water. 

 And fyshe that is bredde in the see hath hard scales and thycke, bycause of 

 drynes of the salte water; and ryuer fyshe haue subtyll scales and nesh 

 backe, bones. Back bones in fyshes ben nedefull to restreyne the fleshe 

 therof that is fletynge, for kynde neshenesse therof. And Auycen techeth 

 to chese good fyshe by kynde of the place wherin they ben noryshed and 

 fedde. And in li. ii. ca. vii. he sayth, that in this maner choys of fyshe 

 is in place, in whiche hit dwelleth. For suche as abyde in stonye placet 

 ben beste ami swetest, and in freshe rennyngc water, in whiche is no cor- 

 rupcion, ne no slyme, ne wose, nor stondynge lakes, no in welles, nor in 

 small pyttes that renne not in riuers, in whom ben noo welles. And he 

 saythe there, that some see fyshes ben good ; for those that ben subtyll 

 ben beste, and ben nourished in the depe sec and no where elles. And 

 fyshe that abyde in waters, that ben vnheled with blastes of wynde, that 

 bloweth the water somtime fro them, are better than those that ben not so 

 emed. And those that ben in waters that ben strongly meued and con- 

 tinually 



