CHAP. iv. THE THIRD DAY. 59 



And now you are to take notice, that he is not like the croco- 

 dile, which if he lives never so long, yet always thrives till his 

 death. And you are to know, that he will about, especially before, 

 the time of his spawning", get almost miraculously through weirs 

 and flood-gates against the streams ; even through such high 

 and swift places as is almost incredible. Next, that the trout 

 usually spawns about October or November, but in some rivers 

 a little sooner or later: which is the more observable, because 

 most other fish spawn in the spring or summer, when the sun 

 hath warmed both the earth and the water, and made it fit for 

 generation. And you are to note that he continues many months 

 out of season ; for it may be observed of the trout, that he is like 

 the buck or the ox, that he will not be fat in many months, 

 though he go in the very same pasture that horses do, which 

 will be fat in one month : and so you may observe that most 

 other fishes recover strength, and grow sooner fat and in season 

 than the trout doth. 



And next you are to note, that till the sun gets to such a 

 height as to warm the earth and the water, the trout is sick, and 

 lean, and lousy, and unwholesome : for you shall in winter find 

 him to have a big head, and then to be lank, and thin, and lean : 

 at which time many of them have sticking on them sugs, or trout- 

 lice, which is a kind of worm, in shape like a clove or pin, with a 

 big head, and sticks close to him and sucks his moisture ; those, 

 I think, the trout breeds himself, and never thrives till he free 

 himself from them, which is when warm weather comes; and 

 then, as he grows stronger, he gets from the dead, still water, 

 into the sharp streams, and the gravel, and there rubs off these 

 worms oj: lice; and then, as he grows stronger, so he gets him 

 into swifter and swifter streams, and there lies at the watch for 

 any fly or minnow that comes near to him ; and he especially 

 loves the May-fly, which is bred of the cod-worm or cadis'; and 

 these make the trout bold and lusty, and he is usually fatter 

 and better meat at the end of that month than at any time of 

 the year. 



Now you are to know that it is observed, that usually .the best 

 tiouts are either red or yellow ; though some (as the Fordiclge 



