fer a fingle before a double pike hook, and bait with a minnow as well to catch pearch as Pike by trolling. When you are compleatly fitted up with all materials, and your hook is baited, caft your fish bait up and down in fuch places as you know the Pike frequents, letting him fink a confiderable depth before you offer to pull him up again. When the Pike comes, if it be not funk too deep, you may see the water move, at least you may feel him: then flack your line, and give him length enough to run to his hold; whether he will immediatly make, and there paunch and swallow the bait. Thus let him lie till you fee the line move; when you may certainly conclude he has fwallowed the bait, and is ranging about for more: then with your trole wind up the line till you think it is almost ftrait, and with a nimble jerk hook him, and bring him pleasantly to land.

THE Pike loves a ftill, fhady,' unfre quented water, with a fandy, chalky, or clay bottom. His best biting time is early in the morning, or late in the evening, in a clear water and gentle gales: he takes all forts of baits, except flies, but the moft principal are, large gudgeons, small

roaches

roaches and dace, large minnows, bull heads, bleaks (in July), young frogs, or falmon-fmelts: fome ufe fat bacon in winter months a young trout, jack, or pearch are also good. Take care that all your fish baits are fresh and fweet when you use them.

Of the TROU T.

HE Trout is a fish highly valued in this and foreign nations; he feeds clear and purely, and in the swifteft ftreams; and may claim a preference to all fresh-water fish. The shape of it is ra ther long than broad, like the falmon: it has a fhort roundish head, a blunt fnout, and in many respects resembles the falmon; his mouth is alfo filled with teeth as the falmon's is.

THE best trouts are either red or yellow, though lome are white, and yet good, but thefe are rarely found. The female has a leffer head, deeper body, and is ufually better meat than the male. It is

obferved

observed that a hog-back and a little head to any fort of fish, either trout, falmon, or other forts, is a sign that such fish are in season.

*

THERE are several forts of Trouts, tho' they all go under that general name, which differ in their bignefs, fhape, and colour; and in fome rivers they are fooner in season than others; and in some longer before they go out of feason. There is a fort of fmall trout which will never come to any bignefs, but breeds much more than those of a larger fize.

The Spawning Time.

THE Trout, a little before they spawn, make up the river to the fpring-head, and to admiration will get through mill, wares, and flood-gates, and up fuch high and swift currents and places as is almost incredible; and fpawn in October or November, (but in fome rivers a little fooner or later, like the falmon; contrary to the natural course of most other fishes, which spawn in warmer weather.

AFTER Trouts have fpawned, they wafte, look big-headed, are fick, lean, become

become infipid, are loufy and unwholfome, till fpring comes to restore them to their pristine health; except fome of the females. who are barren, and continue good all the winter: and fuch are to be found in divers of our rivers; as in Arrow, in Herefordshire: and alfo in the river Teme that arifes in Radnorfhire: and in Chunwater, in Shropshire. In this refpect they may be compared to the barren does, that come in feafon about the middle of November, and go out the beginning of February.

His Haunts.

IN February, when the weather becomes warmer, Trouts leave their winterquarters in the deeps, to fcour, cleanse, and recreate themselves in fhallower waters and streams, and to prepare themselves for their fummer delights; and as they gather ftrength advance ftill higher up the river, till they become fettled in their fummer habitations; many of them getting as high as they can towards the fpring-head of rivers, as in the preceding fection. In their travels they fettle for the most part

in whirl pools, and holes into which swift ftreams, sharps, and fhallows fall: and growing strong, feed in the largest and fwifteft currents, efpecially in the fides and deepest parts of them, near to their holds. If they be large fifh they commonly lie under hollow banks, worn fo' by the ftreams bearing upon them; under roots of trees, boughs, and bufhes; and behind great ftones, blocks, and banks that jet forth into the water, on which ftreams preffing hard, caufe an eddy or whirling back of the water; and they also delight themselves in all fuch places that are shaded with any bush, or covered over with froth, bank, or other thing; conftantly waiting and watching for the ftream to bring fomething down to feed upon, or for fome fmall fith which they often make their prey. Sometimes they take up their station under bridges; and between two streams that run from under double arches of bridges, in the returns of the streams, where the water seems to boil and roll up and down. In deep ftill waters, they chiefly lurk under hollow banks and roots of trees; and for want of such hiding places, abfcond under feggs or weeds, the better to furprise their prey, efpecially in the be

ginning