ANCIENT ANGLING AUTHORS 27 



or if he cannot be caught in either of these ways, he 

 must be poisoned. 



To preserve spawn in spawning time. 



A Chiefe way to save spawne of fish in March, 

 Aprill, and May, is thus, ye shall make fagots of 

 wheate, or rie strawe, all whole straw not bruised, 

 or of reede, binde these faggots together with three 

 bondes, and all about thereon sticke of young branches 

 of willowe. Then cast them in the water among 

 weedes, or by the bankes, and put in each faggot two 

 good long stakes, driven fast to the ground, and let 

 your fagots lie covered in the water halfe a yeard or 

 more. So the fish will come and shed their spawne 

 thereon, and then it will quicken therein, so that 

 no other fish can come to destroy or eate it, and 

 as they waxe quicke they will come foorth and save 

 themselves. 



Thus much for the preserving of spawne in the 

 spring and spawning time : this is a good practise 

 to preserve the spawne of all scaled fish. These 

 fagots ye may make and lay in all rivers, poundes, 

 or standing waters. Your fagots had neede to be a 

 yeard and a halfe long, and bound with three bandes 

 not hard, two bandes a foote from the endes, and 

 an other bande in the middest, and lay them as 

 I have afore declared. Also some doe use to hedge 

 in corners in rivers and pondes with willow, and 

 thereon fish doe cast their spawne and so breedes. 



Mascall describes a method of taking " Sea pies, 

 Crows, and other Pyes," which is repeated in many 

 subsequent works on angling. Two small ozier twigs 

 are bound together crossways near the end, a bait 

 is attached to them by a short thread, and the 

 twigs are anointed with bird - lime. The trap thus 



