THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 149 



them, it was impossible they should be stole away from him ; 

 and that when he has, after three or four years, emptied the 

 pond, and expected an increase from them by breeding young 

 ones (for that they might do so, he had, as the rule is, put in 

 three melters for one spawner), he has, I say, after three or 

 four years, found neither a young nor old carp remaining. 

 And the like I have known of one that had almost watched 

 the pond, and at a like distance of time, at the fishing of the 

 pond, found, of seventy or eighty large carps, not above five 

 or six ; and that he had forborne longer to fish the said pond, 

 but that he saw, in a hot day in summer, a large carp swim 

 near the top of the water with a frog upon his head ; and 

 that he, upon that occasion, caused his pond to be let dry : 

 and I say, of seventy or eighty carps, only found five or six in 

 the said pond, and those very sick and lean, and with every 

 one a frog sticking so fast on the head of the said carps, that 

 the frog would not be got off without extreme force or 

 killing. And the gentleman that did affirm this to me, told 

 me he saw it ; and did declare his belief to be, and I also 

 believe the same, that he thought the other carps, that were 

 so strangely lost, were so killed by the frogs, and then 

 devoured. 



And a person of honour, now living in Worcestershire, 

 assured rne he had seen a necklace or collar of tadpoles, hang 

 like a chain or necklace of beads about a pike's neck, and to 

 kill him ; whether it be for meat or malice must be to me a 

 question. 



But I am fallen into this discourse by accident, of which I 

 might say more, but it has proved longer than I intended, and 

 possibly may not to you be considerable : I shall therefore 

 give you three or four more short observations of the carp, 

 and then fall upon some directions how you shall fish for him. 



The age of carps is by Sir Francis Bacon, in his " History 

 of Life and Death," observed to be but ten years ; yet others 

 think they live longer. Gesner says, a carp has been known 

 to live in the Palatinate above a hundred years :"-" but most 

 conclude that, contrary to the pike or luce, all carps are the 

 better for age and bigness. The tongues of carps are noted 



* Lately, viz., in one of the daily papers for the month of August, 17S2, an 

 article appeared, purporting that in the bason at Emanuel College, Cambridge, 

 a carp was then living that had been in that water thirty-six years ; which, 

 though it had lost one eye, knew, and would constantly approach, its feeder. 



ug 

 II. 



