48 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



would, about a certain time, return back to the salt water, if 

 they were not hindered by weirs and unlawful gins, which 

 the greedy fishermen set, and so destroy them by thousands j 

 as they would, being so taught by nature, change the fresh 

 for salt water. He that shall view the wise statutes, made 

 in the 13th of Edward L, and the like in Richard II., may 

 see several provisions made against the destruction of fish ; 

 and though I profess no knowledge of the law, yet I am 

 sure the regulation of these defects might be easily mended. 

 But I remember that a wise friend of mine did usually say, 

 "that which is everybody's business is nobody's business." 

 If it were otherwise, there could not be so many nets and 

 fish, that are under the statute size, sold daily amongst us ; 

 and of which the conservators of the waters should be 

 ashamed. 



But, above all, the taking fish in spawning-time may be 

 said to be against nature ; it is like the taking the dam on the 

 nest when she hatches her young : a sin so against nature 

 that Almighty God hath in the Levitical law made a law 

 against it (Deut. xii. 6, 7). 



But the poor fish have enemies enough besides such un- 

 natural fishermen, as namely, the otters that I spake of, the 

 cormorant, the bittern, the osprey, the sea-gull, the heron, 

 the king-fisher, the gorara, the puet, the swan, goose, ducks, 

 and the craber, which some call the water-rat : against all 

 which any honest man might make a just quarrel, but I will 

 not, I will leave them to be quarrelled with, and killed by 

 others ; for I am not of a cruel nature, I love to kill nothing 

 but fish. 



And now to your question concerning your host ; to speak 

 truly, he is not to me a good companion ; for most of his 

 conceits were either Scripture-jests, or lascivious jests, for 



November to the middle of December. The fry, when a year old, go to sea in 

 April and May, and no doubt are destroyed now, as well as in Walton's time, 

 by " unlawful gins" and " greedy fishermen." The fence-months for salmon in 

 Scotland and Ireland are September, October, November, December, January, 

 with exceptions in some of the Irish rivers. The fence-months in England and 

 "Wales are regulated by magisterial decrees, rather than by parliamentary 

 edicts. They diifer, therefore, in different rivers. In some rivers in Wales, 

 salmon are allowed to be caught until the third week in December. March, 

 April, and May ought to be made fence-mouths for several of our river-fish, 

 particularly for pike and grayling, which spawn in March and April, and are 

 not in condition until the following autumn months. For the habits, &c., of 

 the salmon, sec my remarks at the encl of chap. vii. ED. 



