168 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. PART i. 



and then let it lie dry six or twelve months, both to kill the 

 water-weeds, as water-lilies, candocks, reate, and bulrushes, 

 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 sometimes 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 

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

 of any fowl or beast that you kill to feed yourselves ; for these 

 afford fish a great relief. He says that frogs and ducks do 

 much harm, and devour both the spawn and the young fry of 

 all fish, especially of the carp ; and I have, besides experience, 

 many testimonies of it. But Lebault allows water-frogs to be 

 good meat, especially in some months, if they be fat: but you 

 are to note that he is a Frenchman ; and we English will hardly 

 believe him, though we know frogs are usually eaten in his 

 country : however, he advises to destroy them and king-fishers 

 out of your ponds. And he advises not to suffer much shooting 

 at wild fowl'; for that, he says, affrightens and harms and 

 destroys the fish. 



Note, that carps and tench thrive and breed best when no 

 other fish is put with them into the same pond ; for all other 

 fish devour their spawn, or at least the greatest part of it. And 

 note, that clods of grass thrown into any pond, feed any carps 

 in summer; and that garden-earth and parsley thrown into a 

 pond recovers and refreshes the sick fish. And note, that when 

 you store your pond, you are to put into it two or three melters 

 for one spawner, if you put them into a breeding pond ; but if 

 into a nurse-pond or feeding pond, in which they will not 

 breed, then no care is to be taken, whether there be most 

 male or female carps. 



It is observed that the best ponds to breed carps are those 

 that be stony or sandy, and are warm and free from wind, and 



