that weed in that Pond, and that that weed both breeds and feeds them; but whether thofe Pikes fo bred will ever breed by generation as the others do, I fhall leave to the difquifitions of men of more curiofity and leisure then I profefs my felf to have; and shall proceed to tell you, that you may fish for a Pike,either with a ledger,or a walking-bait; and you are to note, that I call that a ledger which is fix'd, or made to reft in one certaine place when you shall be abfent; and that I call that a walking bait, which you take with you,and have ever in motion. Concerning which two, I shall give you this direction, That your ledger bait is best to be a living bait, whether it be a fish or a Frog; and that you may make them live the longer, you may, or indeed you you must take this course:

First, for your live bait of fi h, a Rochor Dace is (I think) best and most

L

i 3

ten.pting,

tempting, and a Pearch the longest liv'd on a hook; you must take your knife, (which cannot be too sharp) and betwixt the head and the fin on his back, cut or make an infition,or such a scar as you may put the arming wyer of your hook into it, with as little bruifing or hurting the fish as Art and diligence will enable you to do, and fo carrying your arming wyer along his back, unto, or neer the tail of your fish, betwixt the skin and the body of it, draw out that wyer or arming of your hook at another scar neer to his tail; then tye him about it with thred,but no harder then of neceffitie you must to prevent hurting the fish; and the better to avoid hurting the fish, fome have a kind of probe to open the way, for the more eafie entrance and paffage of your wyer or arming: but as for thefe, time and a little experience will teach you better then I can by words; for of this I will for the pre

fent

fent fay no more, but come next to give you fome directions how te bait your hook with a Frog.

Viat. But, good Master, did not you say even now, that fome Frogs were venemous, and is it not dangerous to touch them?

Pifc. Yes, but I wil give you fome Rules or Cautions concerning them: And first, you are to note, there is two kinds of Frogs; that is to say, (if I may fo exprefs my felf) a flesh and a fib-frog: by flesh frogs,I mean, frogs that breed and live on the land; and of these there be feveral forts and colours, some being peckled, fome greenish, fome blackish, or brown: the green Frog, which is a fmal one, is by Topfell taken to be venemous; and fo is the Palock, or Frog-Padock, which ufually keeps or breeds on the land, and is very large and bony, and big, efpecially the She frog of that kind; yet these wil fometime come into the water,

but it is not often; and the land frogs are some of them observed by him, to breed by laying eggs, and others to breed of the flime and duft of the earth, and that in winter they turn to flime again, and that the next Summer that very flime returns to be a living creature; this is the oIn his 16th pinion of Pliny: and* Cardanus unBook, De dertakes to give reafon for the rainfubtil.ex. ing of Frogs; but if it were in my power,it should rain none but water Frogs, for those I think are not venemous, especially the right water Frog which about February or March breeds in ditches by flime and blackish eggs in that flime, about which time of breeding the He and She frog are observed to use divers fimber falts, and to croke and make a noife, which the land frog,or Padock frog never does. Now of thefe water Frogs, you are to chufe the yelloweft

that
you can get, for that the Pike
ever likes beft. And thus ufe your
Frog,

Frog, that he may continue long alive :

Put your hook into his mouth, which you may easily do from about the middle of April till August, and then the Frogs mouth grows up and he continues fo for at least fix months without eating, but is fuftained, none, but he whofe name is Wonderful, knows how. I fay, put yourhook, I mean the arming wire, through his mouth and out at his gills, and then with a fine needle and Silk fow the upper part of his leg with only one stitch to the armed wire of your hook, or tie the frogs leg above the upperjoint to the armed wire, and in fo doing use him as though you loved him, that is, harme him as little as you may poffibly, that he may live the longer.

And now, having given you this direction for the baiting your ledger hook with a live fish or frog, my next must be to tell you, how your

hook