CYPRINID.E. 199 



hook at its anterior extremity which projects slightly beyond the upper jaw ; 

 posterior extremity of the upper jaw reaches to beneath the front edge of the 

 eye, while it is somewhat emarginate to receive the knob at the extremity of 

 the lower jaw. Teeth pharyngeal, in two rows 4-5, 2/2, 4-5, pointed and 

 crooked at their extremities. Fins the dorsal commences behind the insertion 

 of the ventral and on a line about midway between the hind edge of the eye 

 and the base of the caudal fin : its last rays are above the first of the anal. 

 Pectoral falciform, nearly as long as the head, and reaching to above the base of the 

 ventral, which latter does not quite extend to the anal. Anal highest in front. 

 Caudal forked. Scales of medium size, 3^ rows between the lateral-line and the 

 base of the ventral fin. Lateral-line concave anteriorly and continued to the base 

 of the caudal fin somewhat below its centre. Colours upper surface of the head 

 and back greenish ; a steel-blue band, with a dark upper edge, along the side a 

 little above its middle, sides below this silvery. Fins without colour. 



Varieties. This fish is subject to great modifications in the proportions of its 

 body, some being comparatively much lower than others. 



Names. Bleak also spelt blick, bleik or bleis, a term derived by some from the old 

 Saxon word "blac" which signifies "white," or according to Merrett from the 

 northern word "blick," which means to "bleach" or whiten. From this word 

 " bleak" have sprung local terms as blaze, blay, willow blade. Ablet, Westmorland. 

 While Izaak Walton called it the "freshwater sprat." Gorwynbysg, Welsh. Het 

 Alvertje, Dutch. L'Ablette commune, French. 



Habits. Is very common in many rivers, living in shoals, revels at outlets of 

 drains and is somewhat of a surface swimmer. Ever in motion, never at rest, 

 darting about at the surface of the water, especially during sunny weather, so as 

 to have obtained the name of the " river swallow," and springing out at flies, or 

 infesting rivers in shoals, near the openings of drains. Siebold asserts that it 

 occasionally springs out of the water to escape some rapacious fish as perch which is 

 about attacking it from beneath, and thus eludes its enemy. The bleak is infested 

 with parasitic worms which some authors consider to be frequently the cause of 

 its eccentric gyrations in the water, and have gained it the epithet of "mad bleak." 

 It has, however, been remarked that they are only in this wild condition during 

 certain states of the water. Buckland observes that at the Severn at Shrewsbury 

 he went to the mouth of a sewer : the water was ink black from waste dye, and 

 so warm that steam was on the surface ; bleak were here in vast shoals. In June, 

 1881, it was remarked in the Field, that the dace which used to afford so much 

 sport to anglers when the river was in a natural state, are not now to be found 

 except in a very limited degree, and the migrating fish as bleak, twaite shad, 

 lamperns and lampreys are becoming scarce. This year, however, the little bleak 

 has shown itself in large shoals ascending to considerably above Shrewsbury. 

 Means of capture. Netting, or it will l'ise to the fly. 



Baits. A common fly, a bit of fat bacon, or a small artificial gnat, a gentle at 

 the end of a casting line, or a bit of kid on the end of the hook. 



Breeding. May, June, and even July, during which period its head and 

 gill-covers are rough to the touch. In Sweden Nilsson remarks that the largest 

 and oldest are the earliest to breed. The young grow very rapidly. 



Hybrids. Jackel describes from Bavaria a reputed hybrid between Alburnus 

 lucidus, and probably Scardinius erythro^Mlialmus, which he terms Alburnus 

 Bosenhaueri (Zool. Garten, 1866, p. 20). 



Uses. A good spinning bait due to its silvery whiteness, but it dies too soon 

 to succeed as live bait. The silvery pigment with which its scales are lined 

 has been extensively used in the manufacture of artificial pearls. One thousand 

 bleak are computed to yield 1 lb. of scales, and this four ounces of precipitated 

 white powdery pigment. Yarrell remarks in his time first the slime and dirt was 

 carried off from the scales by a run of waier, they were then soaked for a time 

 when the pigment was found at the bottou^ of the vessel. Into this glass tubes 

 were dipped and the pigment injected into thin hollow glass beads of various forms 

 and sizes. These were then spread on sieves and dried in a current of air. If 

 greater weight were required an injection of wax was added. Pigment from the 



