THE COMPLETE ANGLER, 



Then springing at his height, as doth a little wand 

 That, bended end to end, and started from man's hand, 

 Far oft itself doth cast ; so does the salmon vault : 

 And if at first he fail, his second summersault 

 He instantly essays ; and from his nimble ring, 

 Still yerking, never leaves until himself he fling 

 Above the opposing stream 



This Michael Drayton tells you of this leap or summersault 

 of the salmon. 



And next I shall tell you, that it is observed by G-esner 

 and others, that there is no better salmon than in England ; 

 and that though some of our northern counties have as fat 

 and as large as the river Thames, yet none are of so excel- 

 lent a taste.* 



And as I have told you that Sir Francis Bacon observes, 

 the age of a salmon exceeds not ten years; so let me next tell 

 you, that his growth is very sudden : it is said, that after he 

 is got into the sea, he becomes from a samlet not so big as a 

 gudgeon, to be a salmon, in as short a time as a gosling 

 becomes to be a goose. Much of this has been observed by 

 tying a ribbon, or some known tape or thread, in the tail of 

 some young salmons, which have been taken in weirs as they 

 have swirnmed towards the salt water, and then by taking 

 a part of them again with the known mark at the same place 

 at their return from the sea, which is usually about six 

 months after jt and the like experiment hath been tried upon 



* Salmon have long since disappeared, from the Thames. Those formerly 

 caught in it, the very old Thames fishermen tell us, were of such fine flavour as 

 to fetch from six shillings to ten shillings a pound. We fancy that the price 

 was enhanced by the rarity and freshness of the fish. If Scotch or Irish 

 Salmon could be brought into the London market on the day they were cap- 

 tured, their flavour would equal those of Thames or Severn salmon. The 

 great mass of salmon brought to Billingsgate are a week out of the water. Ice 

 keeps them still fresh, but their curd and high flavour are gone. It is difficult 

 to decide which countries or rivers produce the best salmon : some prefer Dutch, 

 others Scotch or Irish salmon. They judge of it as it appears in the London 

 market. In our opinion, Irish salmon would turn out the best, if it were as 

 carefully packed and forwarded to London as the salmon from other countries. 

 The few salmon that come from the Tyne, Severn, and Hampshire, reach Lon- 

 don soon after they are captured ; and their condition, not having been deteri- 

 orated by several days keeping in ice, their silvery coat and bright deep ver- 

 roilion-coloured flesh, attract the connoisseur, and secure the best prices. In 

 our opinion, there are several small-sized salmon-rivers in Ireland and Scot- 

 land, from which, on account of the small number captured, or the expense of 

 carriage, no salmon are sent to London, that produce fish of the finest 

 quality. ED. 



t On an average, salmon return from sea to their native rivers in three 

 months, rarely in a month, but very frequently in two. A sea-sojourn of four 

 months is rare ; one of six quite abnormal. ED. 



