CHAP. XX. THE COMPLETE ANGLER. 223 



Lebault also advises, that if your ponds be not very large 

 and roomy, that you often feed your fish, by throwing into 

 them chippings of bread, curds, grains, or the entrails of 

 chickens or of any fowl or beast that you kill to feed 

 yourselves ; for these afford fish a great relief. He says, 

 that frogs and ducks do much harm, and devour both the 

 spawn and the young fry of all fish, especially of the 

 Carp ; and I have, besides experience, many testimonies 

 of it. But Lebault allows water-frogs to be good meat, 

 especially in some months, if they be fat : but you are to 

 note, that he is a Frenchman ; and we English will hardly 

 believe him, though we know frogs are usually eaten in 

 his country: however, he advises to destroy them and 

 king-fishers out of your ponds. And he advises not to 

 suffer much shooting at wild-fowl ; for that, he says, af- 

 frightens, and harms, and destroys the fish. 



Note, that Carps and Tench thrive and breed best when 

 no other fish is put with them into the same pond ; for all 

 other fish devour their spawn, or at least the greatest part 

 of it. And .note, that clods of grass thrown into any pond 

 feed any Carps in summer ; and that garden-earth and 

 parsley thrown into a pond recovers and refreshes the sick 

 fish. And note, that when you store your pond, you are 

 to put into it two or three melters for one spawner, if you 

 put them into a breeding-pond ; but if into a nurse-pond, 

 or feeding-pond, in which they will not breed, then no 

 care is to be taken whether there be most male or female 

 Carps. 



It is observed, that the best ponds to breed Carps are 

 those that be stony or sandy, and are warm, and free from 

 wind ; and that are not deep, but have willow-trees and 

 grass on their sides, over which the water does sometimes 

 flow: and note, that Carps do more usually breed in marie- 

 pits, or pits that have clean clay bottoms; or in new ponds, 



