815 



{[soeti'-'< laciisfris), ^^•hi(•l] it iMuts iiji like the |iig. l-'iuat- 

 iiio- |)its of tliis weed hetray to the tislieriimii the re- 

 sorts of tlie Bream. Tliouorli during suininer the Bream 

 stays in water of a moderate deptii, adult indi\idiials 

 never aseend to tiie siiores exee]it in tlie s])awniiii;'- 

 seasoii. (>m1\' small Bream I'ejiair to the shallows in 

 early spring,'' and remain thei'e all the sunimei'. I>ate 

 in autumn, when the weather is very stormy, the Bream 

 is sometimes dri\cn into shallow iidets, and is then 

 known Ijv tlie tishernien as Orddcrshra.rcii (Storm 

 liream)- 'i"li<^ iiuli\iduals that aseend rivers during the 

 spring spawning and in summer are generally young. 

 Their liahits also differ from those of their felhnvs in 

 genei'al, for the shoals of Bream do not nio\e against 

 the stream, but alwavs swim with the current. As the 

 autumn draws to a close, the Bream retires to deep 

 water, and chooses its winter-quarters in the deepest 

 place it can find. Hei'c it lies packed in countless 

 multitudes, and such jilaces are called Bra.ieiisfdiid 

 (Bream-stands). A famous pool of this description lies 

 in Lake Hallho in Soderraanland, and has annually 

 yielded a take, at the same spot and at a single haul, 

 of 4,250—17,000 kgrm". 



The Bream is cautious, cunning, gregarious, and 

 very titnid. It is seldom found alone, but almost 

 always in large or small companies. The best proof 

 of its cunning is its habit of burrowing in the mud 

 or lying on one side that the seine may pass over 

 it. Loud noises, thunder, the sound of bells, the re- 

 port of firearms, etc., ahvays drive it into deep water, 

 from ^vhich it does not return for several days. Its 

 tenacity of life is such that, embedded in grass, it may 

 be conveyed alive for considerable distances. A method 

 long employed in order to keep the fish alive during 

 as long a transportation as possible, is to place in its 

 mouth a bit of liread previously dipped in spirits. 



The Bream ma^" l)e planted in ponds, where it 

 thrives well and grows fat if not stinted in food. In 

 a state of nature the fish lives on weeds, mud, worms, 

 and insects. In the stew it may be fed and fattened 

 on brewers' grains, pellets of dough, and the like. 



Like the other Swedish Cyprinoids the Bream is 

 subject to great variations of form and colour, these 

 depending on the age of the fish, the season of the 

 year, the nature of the water, etc. The difierence is 

 often so great that some ichthvologists — as shown by 



our list ot s\iion\nis — ha\e Ijeen in doubt whether 

 these foi'ms did not constitute distinct species, if the 

 su|)ply of food is plentiful, and the tish becomes fat, 

 the body is always deeper in relation to its length than 

 in .sjiecimeiis which are Ic^an for lack of f()(jd. In the 

 latter case the body is more elongated, with more 

 |iointed head, and the back usually rises in a less shar]) 

 curve. Young specimens are always much shallower 

 than old, and more elongated in form. At this age 

 they are I'egarded by the tisherinen in certain localities 

 as a distinct sjjccies, and are called I'anka, Blapanka, 

 FIha, Srartspnlirif/, etc. The colouring too, as we have 

 mentiouetl above, is nun-h darker in fat Brcanj than in 

 lean or young specimens. 



At the end of Ma\- or beginning of -June the l>reani 

 repairs to the shores in order to spawn. The spawning 

 always takes place when the juniper is in flower, a 

 circumstance which is duh (jbserved by the fishermen. 

 The first shoal to arri\e at the spawning place, which 

 is never changed, being the same from year to year, 

 consists of males alone. The females come later to 

 join their mates, and the spawning now begins, the 

 silent hours of night l^eing preferred for this purpose. 

 The operation is accompanied with great noise, for the 

 fish rove to and fro at the surface in dense shoals, 

 lashing the water with their tails and displaj'ing their 

 activity in many ways. The roe is deposited on rushes 

 and weeds, against which the female rubs her body 

 while spawning. The ova are small and yellowish. 

 The spawning last 3 or 4 days, according to the wea- 

 ther. The eggs are hatched in three weeks, and the 

 fry grow quickly. When the old Bream have tinished 

 spawning, the young fish commence. If no convenient 

 spawning-place can be found in a lake, the shoal ascends 

 some large stream in quest of a suitable spot. In the 

 latter case the choice always falls on some weedy bight 

 at the side of the channel. 



The Bream is very prolific. Block counted 1.37,000 

 eggs in a female weighing 6 lbs. (2,811 grammes), and 

 BenecivE estimates the number at 200,000—300,000 

 ova about 1' „ mm. in longitudinal diameter. 



The flesh of the Bream, though bony, being of 

 good flavour, the fisherman has many different methods 

 of taking this species. During the spawning-season gill- 

 nets are generally used, the seine being less suitable, 

 as the fish are frightened by its use, and often disturbed 



° Cf. Lloyd, Scandinav. Advent., vol. I, p. 45. 

 Scandinavian Fisliei. 



