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CHAPTER VI. 



OBSERVATIONS OF THE UMBER OR GRAYLING, AND 

 DIRECTIONS HOW TO FISH FOR HIM. 



pISCATOR. The umber and grayling are 

 thought by some to differ as the herring and 

 pilchard do. But though they may do so in other 

 nations, I think those in England differ nothing 

 but in their names. Aldrovandus says they be of 

 a trout kind ; and Gesner says that in his coun- 

 try, which is Switzerland, he is accounted the 

 choicest of all fish. And in Italy he is in the 

 month of May so highly valued that he is sold at 

 a much higher rate than any other fish. The 

 French, which call the chub un vilain, call the 

 umber of the lake Leman un umble chevalier; and 

 they value the umber or grayling so highly that 

 they say he feeds on gold, and say that many have 

 been caught out of their famous river of Loire 

 out of whose bellies grains of gold have been often 

 taken. And some think that he feeds on water- 

 thyme, and smells of it at his first taking out of 

 the water. And they may think so with as good 

 reason as we do that our smelts smell like violets 



at their first being caught, which I think is a 

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