THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 153 



apted them also for generation, that then three or four male carps 

 will follow a female ; and that then she putting on a seeming 

 coyness, they force her through weeds and flags, where she lets 

 fall her eggs or spawn, which sticks fast to the weeds, and then 

 they let fall their melt upon it, and so it becomes in a short time 

 to be a living fish ; and, as 1 told you, it is thought the carp does 

 this several months in the year ; and most believe that most fish 

 breed after this manner, except the eel ; and it has been ob- 

 served, that when the spawner has weakened herself by doing 

 that natural office, that two or three melters have helped her 

 from off the weeds by bearing her up on both sides, and guard- 

 ing her into the deep. And you may note, that though this may 

 seem a curiosity not worth observing, yet others have judged it 

 worth their time and costs to make glass hives, and order 

 them in such a manner as to see how bees have bred and made 

 their honey-combs, and how they have obeyed their king, and 

 governed their commonwealth. But it is thought that all carps 

 are not bred by generation, but that some breed other ways, as 

 some pikes do. 



The physicians make the gall and stones in the head of carps 

 to be very medicinable ; but it is not to be doubted but that in 

 Italy they make great profit of the spawn of carps, by selling it 

 to the Jews, who make it into red caviare ; the Jews not being 

 by their law admitted to eat of caviare made of the sturgeon, that 

 being a fish that wants scales, and, — as may appear in Levit. xi., 

 10, — by them reputed to be unclean. 



Much more might be said out of him, and out of Aristotle, 

 which Dubravius often quotes in his Discourse of Fishes ; but it 

 might rather perplex than satisfy you : and therefore I shall 

 rather choose to direct you how to catch, than spend more time 

 in discoursing either of the nature or the breeding of this carp, 

 or of any more circumstances concerning him ; but yet I shall 

 remember you of what I told you before, that he is a very subtle 

 fish, and hard to be caught. 



And my first direction is, that if you will fish for a carp, you 

 must put on a very large measure of patience ; especially to fish 

 for a river-carp ; I have known a very good fisher angle dili- 

 gently four or six hours in a day, for three or four days together, 



8* 



