212 THE COMPLETE ANGLER. [PART I. 



did affirm this to me, told me he saw it ; and did declare his 

 belief to be, and I also believe the same, that he thought the 

 other carps that were so strangely lost, were so killed by 

 frogs, and then devoured. 



And a person of honour now living, in Worcestershire, 1 

 assured me he had seen a necklace, or collar of tadpoles, 

 hang like a chain or necklace of beads about a pike's neck, 

 and to kill him : whether it were for meat or malice, must 

 be to me a question. 



But I am fallen into this discourse by accident ; of which 

 I might say more, but it has proved longer than I intended, 

 and possibly may not to you be considerable : I shall therefore 

 give you three or four more short observations of the carp, 

 and then fall upon some directions how you shall fish for him. 



The age of carps is by Sir Francis Bacon, in his " History 

 of Life and Death," observed to be but ten years, yet others 

 think they live longer. Gesner says, a carp has been known 

 to live in the Palatinate above a hundred years : 2 but most 



insects, in his interesting chapter on Fresk-ivater Squilla?, published 1764, 

 in his 'Employment for the Microscope.' Since then the subject has 

 occasionally called forth some notice from naturalists, but it is only now- 

 attracting the attention it deserves. In consequence of the facility of 

 studying the habits of these creatures in glass aquariums, in a sitting- 

 room, a trade has sprung up in it, and most of the water-insects, as well 

 as newts, toads, and small fresh-water fish of all kinds, are sold by Mr. 

 Leach, near Drury-Lane Theatre. 



The reader will find scientific information on the subject in Westwood's 

 'Classification of Insects,' 2 vols. 8vo. (Bohn), price 18s. ; and a pleasant 

 paper headed 'Water Devils,' and illustrated with engravings, in 'The 

 Episodes of Insect Life,' a book which cannot be too much recom- 

 mended H. G. B. 



1 Mr. Fr. Ru. This memorandum occurs for the first time on the 

 margin of the fifth edition (published 1676). It refers no doubt to> 

 Mr. Francis Ilufford, of Sapy, Worcestershire, who died, at the age of 82, 

 about 1678. N. 



2 Buffon mentions that he had seen in the fosses of the Ponchartrain, 

 Carp which were known to be of the age of one hundred and fifty years ; 

 and Sir James Smith says (in his ' Tour on the Continent, 1793'), "that 

 at the Prince of Conde's seat at Chantilly, there were immense shoals of 

 very large carp, ' silvered o'er with age,' like silver fish, and perfectly 

 tame, so that when any passengers approached their watery habitation, 

 they use to come to the shore in such numbers as to heave each other out 

 of the water, begging for bread, of which a quantity was always kept at 

 hand on purpose to feed them. They would even allow themselves to be 

 handled." In the preface to the third edition, he says, "they were 



