226 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



the sands with his nose like a hog, and there nests 

 himself; yet sometimes he retires to deep and 

 swift bridges, or floodgates, or weirs, where he will 

 nest himself amongst piles or in hollow places, 

 and take such hold of moss or weeds that, be the 

 water never so swift, it is not able to force him 

 from the place that he contends for. This is his 

 constant custom in summer, when he and most 

 living creatures sport themselves in the sun ; but 

 at the approach of winter, then he forsakes the 

 swift streams and shallow waters, and by degrees 

 retires to those parts of the river that are quiet and 

 deeper : in which places, and I think about that 

 time, he spawns ; and as I have formerly told you, 

 with the help of the melter, hides his spawn or 

 eggs in holes, which they both dig in the gravel ; 

 and then they mutually labor to cover it with the 

 same sand, to prevent it from being devoured by 

 other fish. 



There be such store of this fish in the river 

 Danube that, Rondeletius says, they may in some 

 places of it and in some months of the year be 

 taken by those that dwell near to the river, with 

 their hands, eight or ten load at a time. He 

 says they begin to be good in May, and that they 

 cease to be so in August, but it is found to be 

 otherwise in this nation ; but thus far we agree 

 with him, that the spawn of a barbel, if it be not 

 poison, as he says, yet that it is dangerous meat, 

 and especially in the month of May ; which is so 

 certain that Gesner and Gasius declare it had an 



