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THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



of the angle, that yet lives, and I wish he may : this was a 

 deep bodied fish, and doubtless durst have devoured a pike 

 of half his own length ; for I have told you he is a bold fish, 

 such a one as, but for extreme hunger, the pike will not 

 devour ; for to affright the pike, and save himself, the pearch 

 will set up his fins, much like as a turkey-cock will some- 

 times set up his tail. 



But, my scholar, the pearch is not only valiant to defend 

 himself, but he is, as I said, a bold-biting fish, yet he will 

 not bite at all seasons of the year ; he is very abstemious in 

 winter, yet will bite then in the midst of the day, if it be 

 warm : and note, that all fish bite best about the midst of a 

 warm day in winter, and he hath been observed by some not 

 usually to bite till the mulbeny-tree buds, that is to say, till 

 extreme frosts be past the spring, for when the mulberry-tree 

 blossoms many gardeners observe their forward fruit to be 

 past the danger of frosts, and some have made the like 

 observation on the pearch's biting. 



But bite the pearch will, and that very boldly : and as one 

 has wittily observed, if there be twenty or forty in a hole, 

 they may be at one standing all catched one after another, 

 they being, as he says, like the wicked of the world, not 

 afraid, though their fellows and companions perish in their 

 sight. And you may observe, that they are not like the 

 solitary pike, but love to accompany one another, and march 

 together in troops. 



And the baits for this bold fish are not many : I mean, he 

 will bite as well at some or at any of these three, as at any 



