384 CYFRINIDE. 



Daniel, in his Rural Sports, refers to a pleasant day of 

 Bream-fishing at New Hall Pond in Essex. " The weather 

 was cloudy, and the wind brisk : there were seven rods used 

 by the party, and very frequently there were bites at them 

 all at the same time. When a fish was hooked, and played 

 on the top or near the surface of the water, numbers were 

 seen to follow him, and so soon as the hooks were fresh 

 baited, were alike greedily taken. Some few Perch and 

 Tench were caught, but principally Bream, which averaged 

 at least two pounds a fish ; and of these, from six in the 

 morning till dark in the evening, some hundred weight were 

 taken. The bait used was the large red worm, and the spot 

 had been baited on the morning and evening previous to the 

 day of fishing : the ground-bait used was boiled wheat and 

 tallow-nickers 1 greaves mixed together." 



In some of the lakes of Ireland great quantities of Bream 

 are taken, many of them of very large size, sometimes weigh- 

 ing as much as twelve or even fourteen pounds each. A 

 place conveniently situated for the fishing is baited with 

 grains or other coarse food for ten days or a fortnight regu- 

 larly, after which great sport is usually obtained. The party 

 frequently catch several hundred weight, which are distributed 

 among the poor of the vicinity, who split and dry them with 

 great care to eat with their potatoes. The Bream, as food, 

 is best in season in spring and autumn. 



As the fish next to be described after the present Bream 

 is a species of Bream new to the British catalogue, I shall 

 follow the example of Cuvier, in describing the first closely, 

 and when describing the second, to point out more particu- 

 larly the differential characters. 



The whole length of the fish was five inches : a small 

 one was chosen in order to contrast it the better with the 

 specimen of the White Bream which follows; the length 



