OBSERVATIONS OF THE CARP 



old Carp remaining. And the like I have known of one that 

 has almost watched the pond, and at a like distance of time at 

 the fishing of a pond, found of seventy or eighty large Carps 

 not above five or six : and that he had forborne longer to fish 

 the said pond, but that he saw in a hot day in Summer, a large 

 Carp swim near the top of the water with a frog upon his head, 

 and that he upon that occasion caused his pond to be let dry : 

 and I say, of seventy or eighty Carps, only found five or six in 

 the said pond, and those very sick and lean, and with every one 

 a frog sticking so fast on the head of the said Carps, that the 

 frog would not be got off without extreme force or killing : and 

 the gentleman that 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 devoured. 



And a person of honour now living, in Worcestershire,* 



assured 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 question. 



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 and 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 once stuck into his chaps. 

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