322 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. PART. I B 



or the entrails of chickens, or of any fowl or beast that 

 you kill to feed yourselves ; for these afford fish a great 

 relief. He says, that frogs and ducks do much harm, 

 and devour both the spawn and the young fry, of all 

 fish, especially of the Carp. And I have, besides expe- 

 rience, many testimonies of it. But Lebault allows 

 water-frogs to be good meat, especially in some months, 

 if they be fat : but you are to note, that he is a French-* 

 man ; and we English will hardly believe him, though 

 we know frogs are usually eaten in his country : how- 

 ever, he advises io destroy them, and king-Ushers, out 

 of your pondsrf And he advises, not to suffer much 

 shooting at wild fowl ; for that, he says, aftrightens ? 

 and harms and destroys tfce fish. 



Note, that Carps and Tench thrive and breed best 

 when no other fish is put with them into the same 

 pond ; for all other fish devour their spawn, or at least 

 the greatest part of it. And note, that clods of grass 

 thrown into any pond, feed any Carps in summer ; and 

 that garden-earth and parsley thrown into a pond, 

 recovers and refreshes the sick fish. And note, that 

 when you store, your pond, you are to put into it two 

 or three melters for one spawner, if you put them 

 into a breeding-pond ; but if into a nurse-pond, or 

 feeding-pond, in which they will not breed, then no 

 care is to be taken, whether there be most male or fe- 

 male Carps. 



It is observed, that the best ponds to breed Carps : 

 are those that be stoney or sandy ; and are warm, and 

 free from wind ; and that are not deep, but have wil- 

 low-trees and grass on their sides, over which the 

 water does sometimes flow : And note, that Carps do 

 more usually breed in marie-pits, or pits that have 

 clean clay bottoms, or, in new ponds, or ponds that 

 lie dry, a winter season, than in old ponds that be 

 full of mud and weeds *. 



* It is observable, that the author has said very little of pond-fishing ; 

 which is, in truth, a dull recreation ; and to which I have heard it ob- 

 jected, that fish in pond* are already caught. Nevertheless I find that, in 



