PERCHES. 63 



colour to them, and wlietlier it presents itself 

 in the blood of one of their former companions, 

 or the hackle of a cock, is a matter of perfect 

 indifference."* 



There are plenty of very fine Perch all along 

 the Thames, but the most favourite resorts for 

 these fish, are the deeps near Twickenham, either 

 above or below the lock at Teddington, and in 

 some deep holes about halfway between the lock 

 and Hampton Wick ; Perch have been taken in 

 these places frequently as large as four pounds' 

 weight each. 



Very large Perch and Trout are taken in the 

 rivers of Ireland, by a contrivance know^i as the 

 pooka. It consists of a flat board, with a little 

 mast and sail erected on it. Its use is to carry 

 out the extremity of a long, stout line, to which 

 are suspended at certain intervals, a great number 

 of drojjpers, each armed with a baited hook. 

 Corks are aflixed to the principal line to keep 

 it floating, and from a weather shore, any quan- 

 tity of hooks can thus be floated over the water. 

 The corks indicate to the fisher when a fish is 

 on a dropper, and in a small punt he attends to 

 remove the fish and rebait the hooks. Two 

 hundred hooks are sometimes used on one pooka, 

 which aflbrds much amusement and a well-filled 

 pannier. 



This beautiful Fish appears to be common in 

 the rivers and lakes throughout Ireland ; in Scot- 

 land, however, it is rare, and in the -waters that 

 dissect, as it were, the northern portion of that 

 kingdom, it is quite unknown. On the continent, 

 it has a much more northern range; for large Perch, 

 * Vol. V. p. 277. 



