152 THE COMPLETE ANGLER 



of the said carps, that the frog would not be got off without ex 

 treme force or killing : and the gentleman thai 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 de- 

 voured.* 



And a person of honor, now living in Worcestershire, as- 

 sured 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 ques- 

 tion. 



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 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 Palatinate above a hundred years : but most conclude that, 

 contrary to the pike or luce, all carps are the better for age an 1 

 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 reckoned 

 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 onoe 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-ponfls, 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 



* In the margin "f the fifth edition, " Mr. Fr. Ru.," i. e., Francis Ru*" 

 ford, who died 167S. — Sir FT. JVichola^. 



