192 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



you be considerable. I shall therefore give you 

 three or four more short observations of the carp, 

 and then fall upon some directions how you shall 

 fish for him. 



The age of carps is by Sir Francis Bacon, in his 

 "History of Life and Death," observed to be but 

 ten years, yet others think they live longer. Gesner 

 says a carp has been known to live in the Palati- 

 nate above a hundred years ; but most conclude 

 that, contrary to the pike or luce, all carps are the 

 better for age and bigness. The tongues of carps 

 are noted to be choice and costly meat, especially 

 to them that buy them : but Gesner says carps 

 have no tongue like other fish, but a piece of 

 flesh-like fish in their mouth like to a tongue, and 

 should be called a palate ; but it is certain it is 

 choicely good, and that the carp is to be reck- 

 oned amongst those leather-mouthed fish which I 

 told you have their teeth in their throat ; and for 

 that reason he is very seldom lost by breaking his 

 hold if your hook be once stuck into his chaps. 



I told you that Sir Francis Bacon thinks that 

 the carp lives but ten years ; but Janus Dubravius 

 has writ a book, " Of Fish and Fish-ponds," in 

 which he says that carps begin to spawn at the age 

 of three years, and continue to do so till thirty. 

 He says also that in the time of their breeding, 

 which is in summer, when the sun hath warmed 

 both the earth and water, and so apted them also 

 for generation that then three or four male carps 

 will follow a female, and that then, she putting on 



