28 A Booke 



inches deepe, so that a good pretie dogge may creepe therein : for if it too little, the 

 Otter will then gnaw the wele, also the gredyerne must fall easily on the two stickes 

 that stay him, and the gredierne to be broder then the mouth of the teme, which 

 gredierne must be put in the wele when the wele is a making, because it can not be 

 put in whenit is made, except ye make it with playing ioyntes on the middle vane 

 to folde, but on the one side of the gredierne, and so ye may set him in, and take 

 him out when the wele is made, or when you will at any time. They do vse to 

 make him without any ioyntes, but plaine and all flat barres, setting to foure round 

 hoopes, of yeime on the foure corners of the gredierne : which gredierne is made 

 with fine flat barres, and so vsed, waj^ng about two pound weight, because it may 

 fall the sooner. 



For the Water-ratte. 



The Water-rat is a hurtful! vermin to kill fish, especially Creuis, Loches, Culles, 

 and Trowtes lying in holes of the banke. They will soone destroy much other fish 

 and spaune in shallow riuers and brookes, to kill them it is hard to doe : but where 

 as ye shall see their path on bankes sides, there set a deadfall, for they do range 

 abroad a nights like other Rats, and will be where as is corn milles, and fuUing 

 milles, to eate come, and gnaw clothes, and Hues much like to other Rattes, and 

 will pill oziar barkes and such like. Also to take them in weles is hard, except the 

 weles lie shallow, and nigh the toppe of the water by the banke : so a small Otter 

 wele made for the nonce ba}i:ed, may possible deceiue them. They cannot tarrie 

 long vnder water, wherefore they will not hunt deepe, nor robbe weles if they lie 

 deepe, for they commonly take fish nigh the toppe of the water. But some men 

 doe thinke a very good way to take them, that is : to pinne square hordes against 

 the holes where they haunt, which hordes must haue a great hole in the middest, 

 and set iust against her comming in or out, fast pinde to the bankes : then make 

 a latch and set it on the out side of the borde, tyld as you tyle the Fore latch, as ye 



