THE SALMON. 197 





His tail takes in his mouth, and, bending like a bow 

 That 's to full compass drawn, aloft himself doth throw ; 

 Then springing at his height, as doth a little wand 

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

 Far off 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 summer- 

 sault of the salmon. 



And next I shall tell you, that it is observed by Gesner 

 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. 2 



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 swimmed 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 ; and the like experiment 

 hath been tried upon young swallows, who have, after six 

 months' absence, been observed to return to the same 

 chimney, there to make their nests and habitations for the 

 summer following : which has inclined many to think that 



