22O THE COMPLETE ANGLER. [PART I. 



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 kingfishers out of your ponds. And he advises not 

 to suffer much shooting at wild-fowl ; for that, he says, af- 

 frightens, 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 melt- 

 ers 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 

 that are not deep, but have willow-trees, and grass on their 

 sides, over which the water does sometimes flow : and note, 

 that Carps do more usually breed in marie-pits, or pits that 

 have clean clay-bottoms, or in new ponds, or ponds that lie 

 dry a winter-season, than in old ponds that be full of mud and 

 weeds. 



Well, Scholar, I have told you the substance of all that 

 either observation or discourse, or a diligent survey of Dubra- 

 vius and Lebault hath told me : not that they, in their long 

 discourses, have not said more ; but the most of the rest are 

 so common observations, as if a man should tell a good arith- 

 metician that twice two is four. I will therefore put an end 

 to this discourse, and we will here sit down and rest us. 



