J 



illii 



PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS, 



[anno ]687. 



The third day after Rescheto the pit Grebno empties ; in this they rarely fish 

 with nets, but let it fall dry, and the holes in the bottom being so small, that 

 they exceed not the size of a man's arm, all the great fish are left behind in 

 the pit. Two days after Gebno the pit Koteu becomes dry ; in this they some- 

 times take the fish as in the former, but the holes, being larger, let more fish 

 pass. The pit Ainz empties 4 or 5 hours after Koteu ; in this they seldom let 

 the water run away without using their nets, as in Gebno, because of one great 

 hole in the bottom, by which many great fishes may escape. The pit Zeslenza 

 ginks 3 hours after Ainz ; in this they always fish with nets, as in Pounigk, which 

 is emptied the next day after Koteu. 



The last pit, called Leuische, is evacuated the third day after Pounigk, that is, 

 the 25th day from the beginning of the recess of the water of the lake, so 

 that in 25 days the fishing of this lake is over. In this last pit, about \^ years 

 since, there fell a flash of lightning, about the time of fishing, which stunned 

 a multitude of large fishes, so as they filled 28 one-horse carts with them. 

 These fish are not properly thunder struck, but only stunned with the violence 

 and sulphureous vapour of the lightning, which makes them rise and swim as 

 dead on the top of the water ; but if they be taken up and put in fresh water, 

 they soon recover, otherwise they die ; this is no uncommon accident in this 

 lake. 



The fishing being thus ended, a signal is given, by tolling the bell in the 

 chapel of St. John Baptist, near the town of Cirkniz. Upon which all the in- 

 habitants of the neighbouring villages and of Cirkniz, without regard either to 

 age or sex, go mostly quite naked into the lake, and look for fish among the 

 weeds and sedge, and in the smaller pits ; and many creep into the subterrane- 

 ous cavers and passages, and find many large fishes there. 



There are, besides these, some other pits in the lake, in which they fish like- 

 wise, as also in Mala-karlouza and Velka-karlouza ; in both these they go far 

 under ground with lighted torches and find fish. In Velka-bobnarza one may 

 go in at great holes, and descend many fathoms under ground. These two names 

 Velka and Mala-bobnarza signify in the Carnioian tongue the greater and lesser 

 drummer ; nor is it without reason that these pits are so called : for when it 

 thunders, there is heard in these two pits as it were the sound of many drums 

 beating. 



The two pits Narte and Piauze are never emptied, but always remain fenny, 

 when the rest of the lake is quice dry. It is believed, that in these pits the 

 fish lay their spawn, and therefore it is prohibited to fish in them. In them is 

 an incredible number of horse-leeches. These often stick to the people in the 

 fishing time, some of them being dispersed all over the lake, and the method 



