water-wolf, by reason of his bold, greedy,devouring difpofition; which is fo keen, as Gefner relates, a man going to a Pond (where it seems a Pike had devoured all the fish) to water his Mule, had a Pike bit his Mule by the lips, to which the Pike hung fo faft, that the Mule drew him out of the water, and by that accident the owner of the Mule got the Pike; I tell you who relates it,and fhall with it tel you what a wife man has obferved, It is a hard thing to perfwade the belly, because it hath no

ears.

But if this relation of Gefners bee dif-believed, it is too evident to bee doubted that a Pike will devoure a fish of his own kind, that shall be bigger then this belly or throat will receive; and swallow a part of him, and let the other part remaine in his mouth till the swallowed part be digefted, and then swallow that other part that was in his mouth, and fo

put

put it over by degrees. And it is obferved, that the Pike will eat venemous things (as fome kind of Frogs are) and yet live without being harmed by them: for, as some say, he has in him a natural Balfome or Antidote against all Poison: and others, that he never eats a venemous Frog till he hath first killed her, and then (as Ducks are obferved to do to Frogs in Spawning time, at which time fome Frogs are observed to be venemous) fo throughly washt her,by tumbling her up and down in the water, that he may devour her without danger. And Gefner affirms, that a Polonian Gentleman did faithfully assure him, he had seen two young Geefe at one time in the belly of a Pike: and hee obferves, that in Spain there is no Pikes, and that the biggest are in the Lake Thracimane in Italy,and the next, if not equal to them, are the Pikes of England.

L

The

The Pike is also obferved to be a melancholly, and a bold fish: Melancholly, because he alwaies fwims or refts himselfe alone, and never fwims in fholes, or with company, as Roach,and Dace, and moft other fifh do: And bold, because he fears not a fhadow, or to fee or be feen of any body, as the Trout and Chub, and all other fish do.

And it is obferved by Gefner,that the bones,and hearts,& gals of Pikes are very medicinable for several Diseases, as to stop bloud, to abate Fevers, to cure Agues, to oppose or expel the infection of the Plague, and to be many wayes medicinable and useful for the good of mankind; but that the biting of a Pike is venemous and hard to be cured.

And it is obferved, that the Pike is a fish that breeds but once a year,and that other fish (as namely Loaches) do breed oftner; as we are certaine Pigeons do almoft every month, and

yet

yet the Hawk, a bird of prey (as the Pike is of fifh) breeds but once in twelve months: and you are to note, that his time of breeding or Spawning is ufually about the end of February; or fomewhat later,in March, as the weather proves colder or warmer: and to note, that his manner of breeding is thus, a He and a She Pike will ufually go together out of a River into fome ditch or creek, and that theretheSpawner cafts her eggs, and the Melter hovers over her all that time that she is cafting her Spawn, but touches her not. I might say more of this, but it might be thought curiofity or worfe, and fhall therefore forbear it, and take up fo much of your attention as to tell you that the best of Pikes are noted to be in Rivers, then those in great Ponds or Meres, and the worst in fmal Ponds.

And now I thall proceed to

L 2

give

give you fome directions how to catch this Pike.

which you have with so much patience heard me talk of.

His feeding is ufually fish or frogs, and sometime a weed of his owne, called Pikrel-weed, of which I told

you fome think fome Pikes are bred; for they have observed, that where no Pikes have been put into a Pond, yet that there they have been found, and that there has been plenty of

that