the greatness of the number of spawn overstocking the pond.

Mr. Tull, in order to prevent the excessive increase of fish in his ponds, first practised castration on them, which made them grow larger than their usual size. But I think the operation peculiarly cruel, and the purpose of it only a detestable piece of Apician refinement.

For large carps a store-pond is ever accounted the best; and to make a breeding-pond become a store-pond, see what quantity of carps it will contain: then put in all milters or all spawners: whereby in a little time you may have carps that are both large and exceedingly fat. Thus by putting in one sex, there is an impossibility of the increase of them; yet the roaches, notwithstanding this precaution, will multiply. Reserve some great waters for the head quarters of the fishes, whence you may take, or wherein you may put, any quantity thereof. And be sure to have stews and other auxiliary waters, so as you may convey any part of the stock from one to the other; so to lose no time in the growth of the fishes, but employ your water as you do your land, to the best advantage. View the grounds, and find out some fall between the hills, as near a flat as may be, so as to leave a proper current for the water. If there be any difficulty of judging of such, take an opportunity, after some sudden rain, or breaking up of a great snow in winter, and you will plainly see which way the ground casts, for the water will take the true fall, and run accordingly.

The condition of the place must determine the quantity of the ground to be covered with water. For example, I may propose in all fifteen acres in three ponds, or eight acres in two, and not less;

and

and these ponds should be placed one above another, so as the point of the lower may almost reach the head or bank of the upper, which contrivance is no less beautiful than advantageous.

The head, or bank, which by stopping the current, is to raise the water, and so make a pond, must be built with the clay or earth taken out of the pan or hollow, dug in the lowest ground above the bank: the shape of the pan to be a half oval, whereof the flat to come to the bank, and the longer diameter to run square from it.

For two large ponds of three or four acres apiece, it is advisable to have four stews, each two rods wide, and three long. The stews are usually in gardens, or near the house, to be more handy and better looked to. The method of making them, is to carry the bottom in a continual decline from one end, with a mouth to favour the drawing them with a net.

IN THE

ART OF ANGLING.

TO CATCH FISHES.

AKE Coculus Indicus, which is a poisonous

TAKE Coculus bacca piscatoria, fisher's

berries, and pound them in a mortar, then make balls of the paste which will be produced (by adding a sufficient quantity of water) about the size of a pea, and throw them into a standing-water; the fish that taste of it will be very soon intoxicated, and will rise and lie on the surface of the water; put your landing-net under them, and take them out.

Coculus Indicus is a little berry, about as big as a bay-berry, but more of a kidney-shape, having a wrinkled outside, with a seam running lengthways from the back to the navel: it is of a bitterish taste, being the fruit of a tree described in the seventh volume of the Hortus Malabaricus, under the name of Naslatum, bearing leaves in the shape of a heart, and bunches of five-leaved white flowers, which are succeeded by their berries. They grow in Malabar in the East Indies. They are seldom used in physic, being accounted to be of a hurtful and pernicious nature, but their principal use is for catching fishes: the famous

Cardan's

Cardan's celebrated receipt for this purpose, runs thus: take of the berries of the Oriental Cocus, a quarter of an ounce; of cumin and boiling water, each two ounces; of cheese, one ounce, and of meal three ounces; after bruising them together, form them into small balls. Others mix the berries with old cheese, honey, and wheaten meal, of which they form small balls, to be thrown to fishes. Others for this purpose mix a variety of other substances with these berries; but after all their pains there is no necessity for so troublesome an apparatus, since I have known by experience, says Ray, that a simple ball of the powder of these intoxicating berries, made up with wheaten meal and water, is equally efficacious for stupifying, and at last killing, fishes; for th fishes, as some assert, are by eating balls of this kind, only rendered vertiginous and stupid for a while, but soon return to their natural state, is not confirmed by experience; for my own experience, says Mr. Ray, quadrates with the opinion of those fishes spoken of by the learned Condronchius, who affirms that fishes are soon killed by balls of this kind. But I do not know whether, as they assert, they soon become putrid, and fall into pieces, unless they are speedily taken out of the water. If, says Condonchius, any should object, that, upon taking these balls, the fishes swim up and down with uncommon haste and precipitation, by which means their intoxication, or vertigo, is produced; I answer, that they do not ramble thus in consequence of their vertigo, but in consequence of the intolerable pain they feel from that unfriendly substance, just as other animals do, especially men, when they are racked with any intense pain. I readily grant that by these balls fishes are rendered vertiginous, and as

am

am

it were intoxicated; but at the same time, I af. firm, that they are soon after killed; for I not much of opinion that they are rendered vertiginous, and killed by the bitter and acrid, or by some hitherto unknown quality of these berries. I will not, however, take upon me to determine, whether fishes killed in this manner may be safely eaten, but with Condonchius I of opinion, that no danger attends the use of then as an aliment, if they are gutted and boiled as soon as taken. That these berries are hot, and by means cold, as all opiates certainly are, as also Matthiolus, and others maintain, notwithstanding their narcotic quality, is sufficiently obvious from their acrid and bitter taste, as also by the other effects produced by them, as Condonchius has evidently demonstrated. This same author is of opinion, that these berries are by no means possessed of a poisonous and deletereous quality, and it is not by this, but by their bitterness and primary qualities, that fishes are killed; but the contrary to me seems plain, from a story related by Arnatus. A certain schoolmaster asking for cubebs from an ignorant apothecary, received these berries in their stead. When the schoolmaster had greedily devoured three or four of them, he was seized with a nausea, hiccough, and anxiety, which symptoms, together with the danger they threatened, were immediately removed by administering a vomit: the reasoning is weak, and more about words than facts, and may be equally said of opium; the absurdity of which is evident to all who know the nature and operation of hypnotics.

This description of the Oriental Cocus, I am indebted to the late ingenious Dr. Cook for, but I must beg leave to make some observations, which

seem