114 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 



hole is, and make your bait stir up and down on the top of 

 the water, you may, if you stand close, be sure of a bite, but 

 not sure to catch him, for he is not a leather-mouthed fish ; 

 and after this manner you may fish for him with almost any 

 kind of live fly, but especially with a grasshopper. 



VEN. But before you go further, I pray, good master, 

 what mean you by a leather-mouthed fish ? 



PlSC. By a leather-mouthed fish I mean such as have 

 their teeth in their throat, as the chub or cheven, and so the 

 barbel, the gudgeon, and carp, and divers others have ; and 

 the hook being stuck into the leather or skin, or the mouth 

 of such fish, does very seldom or never lose its hold ; but, 

 on the contrary, a pike, a perch, or trout, and so some other 

 fish, which have not their teeth in their throats, but in their 

 mouths, which you shall observe to be very full of bones, 

 and the skin very thin, and little of it : I say, of these fish 

 the hook never takes so sure hold, but you often lose your 

 fish, unless he have gorged it. 



VEN. I thank you, good master, for this observation ; but 

 now, what shall be done with my chub or cheven that I 

 have caught ? 



PlSC. Marry, Sir, it shall be given away to some poor 

 body, for I 11 warrant you I '11 give you a trout for your 

 supper : and it is a good beginning of your art to offer your 

 first-fruits to the poor, who will both thank you and God 

 for it, which I see by your silence you seem to consent to. 

 And for your willingness to part with it so charitably, I will 

 also teach you more concerning chub fishing. You are 

 to note that in March and April he is usually taken with 

 worms ; in May, June, and July he will bite at any fly, or at 

 cherries, or at beetles with their legs and wings cut off, or 



