ling, repair to the river, where you have seen them swim in skulls or shoals, in the summer time, in a hot afternoon, about three or four of the clock, and watch their going forth of their deep holes and returning, which you may well discern, for they return about four of the clock, most of them seeking food at the bottom, yet one or two will lie on the top of the water, rolling and tumbling themselves whilst the rest are under him at the bottom, and so you shall perceive him to keep sentinel; then mark where he plays most, and stays longest, which commonly is in the broadest and deepest place of the river, and there, or near thereabouts, at a clear bottom and a convenient landing-place, take one of your angles ready fitted as aforesaid, and scund the bottom, which should be about eight or ten feet deep, two yards from the bank is the best. Then consider with yourself whether that water will rise or fall by the next morning, by reason of any water-mills near, and according to your discretion take the depth of the place, where you mean after to cast your ground bait, and to fish, to half an inch, that the lead lying on near the groundbait, the top of the float may only appear upright half an inch above the water.

Thus you having found and fitted for the place and depth thereof, then go home and prepare your ground-bait, which is, next to the fruit of your labours, to be regarded.

THE GROUND-BAIT.

You shall take a peck, or a peck and a half, according to the greatness of the stream and deepness of the water where you mean to angle, of sweet gross-ground barley malt, and boil it in a kettle; one or two warms is enough, then strain it through a bag into a tub, the liquor whereof hath often done my horse much good, and when the bag and malt is near cold, take it down to the water side about eight or nine of the clock in the evening, and not before; cast in two parts of your ground-bait, squeezed hard between both your hands; it will sink presently to the bottom, and be sure it may rest in the very place where you mean to angle; if the stream run hard or move a little, cast your malt in handfuls a little the higher, upwards the stream. You may, between your hands, close the malt so fast in handfuls, that the water will hardly part it with the fall.

Your ground thus baited and tackling fitted, leave your bag

with the rest of your tackling and ground-bait near the sporting-place all night, and in the morning about three or four of the clock, visit the water-side, but not too near, for they have a cunning watchman, and are watchful themselves too.

Then gently take one of your three rods, and bait your hook; casting it over your ground-bait, and gently and secretly draw it to you, till the lead rests about the middle of the ground-bait.

Then take a second rod, and cast in about a yard above, and your third a yard below the first rod; and stay the rods in the ground: but go yourself so far from the water-side, that you perceive nothing but the top of the floats, which you must watch most diligently. Then when you have a bite, you shall perceive the top of your float to sink suddenly into the water: yet, nevertheless, be not too hasty to run to your rods, until you see that the line goes clear away, then creep to the water-side, and give as much line as you possibly can if it be a good carp or bream, they will go to the farther side of the river: then strike gently, and hold your rod at a bent, a little while; but if you both pull together, you are. sure to lose your game, for either your line, or hook, or hold will break and after you have overcome them, they will make noble sport, and are very shy to be landed. The carp is far stronger and more mettlesome than the bream.

Much more is to be observed in this kind of fish and fishing, but it is far better for experience and discourse than paper. Only, thus much is necessary for you to know, and to be mindful and careful of, that if the pike or pearch do breed in that river, they will be sure to bite first, and must first be taken. And for the most part they are very large; and will repair to your ground-bait, not that they will eat of it, but will feed and sport themselves among the young fry that gather about and hover over the bait.

The way to discern the pike and to take him, if you mistrust your bream-hook,-for I have taken a pike a yard long several times at my bream-hooks, and sometimes he hath had the luck to share my line,—may be thus:

Take a small bleak, or roach, or gudgeon, and bait it, and set it alive among your rods, two feet deep from the cork, with a little red worm on the point of the hook; then take a few crumbs of white bread, or some of the ground-bait, and sprinkle it gently amongst your rods. If Mr. Pike be there,

L

then the little fish will skip out of the water at his appearance, but the live-set bait is sure to be taken.

Thus continue your sport from four in the morning till eight, and if it be a gloomy windy day, they will bite all day long. But this is too long to stand to your rods at one place, and it will spoil your evening sport that day, which is this:

About four of the clock in the afternoon, repair to your baited place; and as soon as you come to the water-side, cast in one half of the rest of your ground-bait, and stand off: then whilst the fish are gathering together, for there they will most certainly come for their supper, you may take a pipe of tobacco; and then in with your three rods, as in the morning : you will find excellent sport that evening, till eight of the clock; then cast in the residue of your ground-bait, and next morning by four of the clock visit them again for four hours, which is the best sport of all; and after that, let them rest

till you and your friends have a mind to more sport.

From St. James's-tide until Bartholomew-tide is the best; when they have had all the summer's food, they are the fattest. Observe lastly, that after three or four days' fishing together your game will be very shy and wary, and you shall hardly get above a bite or two at a baiting; then your only way is to desist from your sport about two or three days; and in the meantime, on the place you late baited, and again intend to bait, you shall take a tuft of green but short grass, as big or bigger than a round trencher; to the top of this turf, on the green side, you shall with a needle and green thread, fasten one by one as many little red worms as will near cover all the turf; then take a round board or trencher, make a hole in the middle thereof, and through the turf, placed on the board or trencher, with a string or cord as long as is fitting, tied to a pole, let it down to the bottom of the water, for the fish to feed upon without disturbance about two or three days; and after that you have drawn it away, you may fall to and enjoy your former recreation.*-B.A.

*The haunts of the bream, a fish which the angler seldom meets with, are the deepest and broadest parts of gentle, soft streams, with sandy, clayey bottoms: and the broadest and most quiet places of ponds, and where there are weeds. They spawn about the beginning of July; a little before which time they are best in season, though some think them best in September. The baits for the bream are red worms, small lob or marsh worms, gentles, and grasshoppers. In general they are to be fished for as carp.-H.

[A FEW REMARKS ON THE BREAM.-Walton has written more sensibly as a naturalist, and more artistically as an artist, on the bream, than on any other fish hitherto treated of by him. He seems to have a liking for this worthless fish; thinks it not only handsome, but courageous and well-flavoured. It is neither; and very few modern anglers prize it either as an edible, or as a fish affording much sport. It is called by naturalists Cyprinus Brama. It is remarkable for the smallness of its dorsal fin, and the largeness of its anal one-there being no fewer than twenty-seven rays in the latter. Its tail is exceedingly forked, and it has a forked, rather large fin between the dorsal fin and tail. It is exceedingly hog-backed, and very deep and thin in the body. It has a very small head, and very prominent eyes. It affects deep, still waters, with soft half muddy, half clayey bottoms. It is in good season in spring, and worms then are the best baits for it. Daniel points out two good modes of fishing with them. The first is, "after plumbing the depth, put one or more shot a foot below the float, to balance it, which is a way to take the shyest fish; the bait a large red worm, which must be laid in, and let sink very gradually to the ground-bait. When the fish bites, strike gently that very instant." The second method is, employing "the running line, with a bullet and hole through it, and a small shot to hinder the bullet falling on the hook; let this run on the bottom with the current into holes, and equally as for bream it will be found to answer for all other fish that bite at the bottom." The last species of tackle corresponds with the modern ledger-line, of which I shall have to speak fully when I come to Chap. XIV., which treats of the barbel. An extract from Blaine, accompanied by an original sentence or two, will complete the measure of information required to enable any one to angle successfully for the bream. That elaborate and able sporting writer says, "Bream will likewise take caddis-bobs and grubs, and all other usual larvæ. In the large rivers of the midland counties, as well as in the great pieces of water called broads, meres, fleets, &c., the salmon-roe is an excellent summer bait, and will be seldom refused by bream: they will likewise take natural flies; as the house-fly, flesh-fly, stone-fly, during the day; and in the evening they seldom refuse the various moths. In dipping with these baits, the utmost possible caution must be observed by the angler to keep himself concealed; for the moment bream discover any one near, they sink to the bottom immediately; though, as they very soon appear again, the mischief may usually be repaired The bream is not always a quick biter, and when it is, its small mouth sometimes produces a kind of suction, particularly if the bait be a full-sized one: it is, therefore, necessary to strike with some caution, and the proper degree of it will be taught by a few successful, and a few unsuccessful bites." I have frequently caught bream with the artificial fly. They will take brown palmers, the fly called "the governor," and in the evening yellow and white artificial moths.-ED.]

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CHAPTER XI.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE TENCH; AND ADVICE HOW TO ANGLE

FOR HIM.

[Fourth Bay.]

PISC. The Tench, the physician of fishes, is observed to love ponds better than rivers, and to love pits better than either yet Camden observes, there is a river in Dorsetshire that abounds with tenches, but doubtless they retire to the most deep and quiet places in it.

This fish hath very large fins, very small and smooth scales, a red circle about his eyes, which are big and of a gold colour, and from either angle of his mouth there hangs down a little barb. In every tench's head there are two little stones which foreign physicians make great use of, but he is not commended for wholesome meat, though there be very much use made of them for outward applications. Rondeletius says, that at his being at Rome, he saw a great cure done by applying a tench to the feet of a very sick man. This, he says, was done after an unusual manner, by certain Jews. And it is observed, that many of those people have many secrets yet unknown to Christians; secrets that have never yet been written, but have been (since the days of their Solomon, who knew the nature of all things, even from the cedar to the shrub) delivered by tradition, from the father to the son, and so from generation to generation, without writing; or (unless it were casually), without the least communicating them to any other nation or tribe; for to do that they account a profanation. And yet it is thought that they, or some spirit worse than they, first told us that lice swallowed alive, were a certain cure for the yellowjaundice. This, and many other medicines, were discovered by them, or by revelation; for, doubtless, we attained them not by study.

Well, this fish, besides his eating, is very useful both dead and alive for the good of mankind. But I will meddle no more with that; my honest humble art teaches no such boldness; there are too many foolish meddlers in physic and divinity, that think themselves fit to meddle with hidden secrets, and so bring destruction to their followers. But I'll