THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 231 



side, and in the most sandy places, for fish both to spawn upon, 

 and to defend them and the young fry from the many fish, and 

 also from vermin that lie at watch to destroy them ; especially 

 the spawn of the carp and tench, when it is left to the mercy of 

 ducks or vermin. 



He and Dubravius and all others advise, that you make choice 

 of such a place for your pond, that it may be refreshed with a 

 little rill, or with rain-v/ater running or falling into it ; by which 

 fish are more inclined both to breed, and are also refreshed and 

 fed the better, and do prove to be of a much sweeter and more 

 pleasant taste. 



To which end it is observed, that such pools as be'large, and 

 have most gravel, and shallows where fish may sport themselves, 

 do afford fish of the purest taste. And note, that in all pools it 

 is best for fish to have some retiring place, as namely, hollow 

 banks, or shelves, or roots of trees, to keep them from danger ; 

 and, when they think fit, from the extreme heat of summer, as 

 also from the extremity of cold in winter. And note, that if 

 many trees be growing about your pond, the leaves thereof fall- 

 ing into the water make it nauseous to the fish, and the fish to 

 be so to the eater of it. 



It is noted that the tench and eel love mud, and the carp loves 

 gravelly ground, and in the hot months to feed on grass. You 

 are to cleanse your pond, if you intend either profit or pleasure, 

 once every three or four years, especially some ponds ; and then 

 let it lie dry six or twelve months, both to kill the water-weeds, 

 as water-li les, candocks, reate, and bull-rushes, that breed there ; 

 and also, that as these die for want of water, so grass may grow 

 in the pond's bottom, which carps will eat greedily in all the hot 

 months if the pond be clean. The letting your pond dry and 

 sowing oats in the bottom is also good, for the fish feed the faster : 

 and being sometime let dry, you may observe what kind of fish 

 either increases or thrives best in that water ; for they differ 

 much both in their breeding and feeding. 



Lebault also advises, that if your ponds be not very large and 

 roomy, that you often feed your fish by throwing into them chip- 

 pings of bread, curds, grains, or the entrails of chickens, or of 

 any fowl or bea^t that you kill to feed yourselves ; for these 



