12 E. B. CROFT — IZAAK WALTON AND THE EIVEE LEA. 



I propose now making a few remarks on the natural history 

 introduced into the conversation during these three days. As this 

 is a book on angling, naturally fish are more fully described than 

 anything else ; therefore I shall commence with a comparison of 

 those meutioned in ' The Compleat Angler ' with those which 

 now inhabit our waters ; and as the habits of very nearly all of 

 these have been fully described by one of our Vice-Presidents (Mr. 

 Littleboy) in his paper on the Bulbourne and Gade,* I shall assume 

 that my hearers have a general knowledge of their natural his- 

 tory, etc. 



The Perch [Perca fluviatilis) is described by "Walton, and is still 

 very common ; it is mentioned in the Conservancy byelaws, and 

 may not be taken unless six inches in length (measured in this and 

 all other cases from the eye to the end of the tail). 



The Ruffe or Pope {Acerina vulgaris) is described by Walton, 

 and is now somewhat scarce. 



The Miller's Thumb, bullhead, or loggerhead {Cottus Gohio), is 

 described by Walton. Some years ago this fish was more common 

 than it is now in some parts of the river. 



The Stickleback (called by Walton the sticklebag) is common. 

 I think that at least three out of the five British species occur 

 in the Lea — namely, Gasterosteus trachurus, G. spinulusus, and G. 

 piingilirus. 



The Carp ( Cyprmus Carpio) is described by Walton as the water- 

 fox for his cunning, and as " the queen of rivers : a stately, a 

 good, and a very subtle fish." It is still common, and may not be 

 taken under ten inches in length. A very large carp, weighing 

 14 lbs., was recently captured near Ware. 



The Barbel [Barliis vulgaris) is still common, and may not be 

 taken unless twelve inches long. Walton devotes a whole chapter 

 to the description of this fish and the method of its capture. The 

 barbel does not occur in the Bulbourne or Grade, and is, I believe, 

 the only fish at present inhabiting the Lea which Mr. Littleboy 

 does not describe in his paper on those rivers. 



The Gudgeon [Gobio JluviatiUs) is described, and is still very 

 common. 



The Tench [Tinea vulgaris) is called "the physician of fishes " 

 by Walton, who describes at length the healing power ascribed to 

 it, an opinion which is not quite exploded. The tench is still 

 common, and may not be taken unless six inches in length. 



The Bream or Carp-Bream (Abramis Brama) is not allowed 

 to be taken unless eight inches long. Walton describes this fish at 

 length, and mentions what he calls a bastard breed of breams, 

 which is supposed to be the Bream-Plat {A. blicca) of the Norfolk 

 waters. One of the most experienced of the Lea anglers recently 

 told me that he had caught two fish near Sewardstone which he 

 could not identify. Prom his description I have no hesitation in 

 saying that they belonged to this species. 



* ' Trans. Watford Nat. Hist. Soc.,' Vol. 11, p. 113. 



