THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. I33 



"Scott (a local Quaker poet) is a name of pious memory. Here is a 

 quotation from one of his poems : — 



' Amwell ! perpetual be thy stream, 

 Nor ere thy streams be less ; 

 Thousands who drink thee never dream 

 Whence flows the boon they bless.' 



" Shortly afterwards we come to the smiling village of Stanstead, its 

 banks decorated by pollard willows. The scene reminds us of many that are 

 peculiar to Dutch villages." 



Thus far Mr. Bramley. We saw all that he describes, and our day was 

 an ideal one. The sun shone brightly, the air was clear, and the trees 

 probably at their absolute best in this wonderful summer for foliage ; birds 

 were numerous, the river was full of fish, which the angling members coveted 

 in vain— for it was the last day of the close season. On the banks bloomed 

 an abundance of wild flowers. These were gathered and examined by the 

 botanical members (including Mr. Arthur Sewell and Mr. Money-Kent). 

 Nothing that was new to the Lea list was observed — the most notable find 

 was the " Gold-of-Pleasure '' fCamelina sativa), which occurred on a piece of 

 waste ground on the banks. Of Mr. W. M. Webb's gatherings of Mollusca 

 much the same remark applies — nearly all the species previously noted were 

 found, but no novelties. 



Mr. Mark Davies, an experienced Lea angler, very kindly gave us the 

 benefit of some remarks on the Lea from a fisherman's point of view. The 

 following notes embody the gist of his observations: — 



SOME RANDOM NOTES BY AN OLD ANGLER ON FISHES 

 OF THE LEA. 



By MARK DAVIES, Member of the Gresham Angling Society. 



" In venturing to discourse to the members of the Essex Field Club on the 

 Fishes of the Lea, I cannot but feel there is some presumption on my part, as 

 I am only able to speak as an old London Angler. 



The Lea contains almost every fish that is found in the rivers of 

 England. 



Trout are numerous in the upper waters, but below Hertford such as are 

 met with, like Thames trout, grow to a large size. Some thirty years ago I 

 saw one that was caught at Carthagena Weir. It must have weighed nearly 

 ten pounds ; it was in beautiful condition, but most unlike the true Salmofario, 

 having no visible spots, and resembled a salmon in appearance. I described 

 this fish to my dear old friend. Dr. John Brunton, who told me that he had 

 once seen a similar fish from the Lea. It was his opinion that they were 

 distinct from ordinary trout — he called them " landlocked salmon." It has 

 been stated by Prof. Rasch, of the Christiana University, in a pamphlet he 

 wrote in 1857, " that salmon grow, thrive and breed without ever visiting 

 the sea." 



The trout, no doubt, greatly alters in size and appearance according to the 

 condition of water and food ; this is well illustrated by the manner in which 

 the New Zealand trout have grown into the size they have in a few years. 



