1 62 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



truth. Aldrovandus says the salmon, the grayling, 

 and trout, and all fish that live in clear and sharp 

 streams, are made by their mother Nature of such 

 exact shape and pleasant colors, purposely to in- 

 vite us to a joy and contentedness in feasting with 

 her. Whether this is a truth or not, it is not my 

 purpose to dispute ; but 't is certain all that write 

 of the umber declare him to be very medicinable. 

 And Gesner says that the fat of an umber or gray- 

 ling being set with a little honey a day or two in 

 the sun in a little glass, is very excellent against 

 redness or swarthiness, or anything that breeds in 

 the eyes. Salvian takes him to be called umber 

 from his swift swimming or gliding out of sight, 

 more like a shadow or a ghost than a fish. Much 

 more might be said both of his smell and taste ; 

 but I shall only tell you that Saint Ambrose, the 

 glorious Bishop of Milan, who lived when the 

 Church kept fasting-days, calls him the flower-fish, 

 or flower of fishes, and that he was so far in love 

 with him that he would not let him pass without 

 the honor of a long discourse ; but I must, and 

 pass on to tell you how to take this dainty fish. 



First, note that he grows not to the bigness of a 

 trout, for the biggest of them do not usually ex- 

 ceed eighteen inches. He lives in such rivers as 

 the trout does, and is usually taken with the same 

 baits as the trout is, and after the same manner ; 

 for he will bite both at the minnow or worm or 

 fly, though he bites not often at the minnow, and 

 is very gamesome at the fly, and much simpler 



