THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 191 



they might do so, he had, as the rule is, put in 

 three melters for one spawner, he has, I say, 

 after three or four years, found neither a young 

 nor old carp remaining. And the like I have 

 known of one that has almost watched the pond, 

 and at a like distance of time, at the fishing of a 

 pond, found of seventy or eighty large carps not 

 above five or six ; and that he had forborne longer 

 to fish the said pond, but that he saw, in a hot 

 day in summer, a large carp swim near the top of 

 the water with a frog upon his head ; and that he 

 upon that occasion caused his pond to be let dry : 

 and I say, of seventy or eighty carps, only found 

 five or six in the said pond, and those very sick 

 and lean, and with every one a frog sticking so 

 fast on the head of the said carps that the frog 

 would not be got off without extreme force or 

 killing. And the gentleman that did affirm this to 

 me told me he saw it ; and did declare his belief 

 to be, and I also believe the same, that he thought 

 the other carps that were so strangely lost were 

 so killed by frogs, and then devoured. 



And a person of honor now living in Worces- 

 tershire assured me he had seen a necklace or 

 collar of tadpoles hang like a chain or necklace 

 of beads about a pike's neck, and to kill him, 

 whether it were for meat or malice must be to me 

 a question. 



But I am fallen into this discourse by accident, 

 of which I might say more, but it has proved 

 longer than I intended, and possibly may not to 



