THE ROACH. 79 



boiled potatoes or paste are the only baits used for 

 Roach, as they will not touch a gentle or greaves in 

 that country. 



Roach breed and thrive in canals, ponds, and lakes, 

 but best in rivers : in rivers, they are found on the 

 shallows and scowers during Spring, and among weeds 

 in Summer 3 in eddies and in deep holes, during Win- 

 ter : also about bridges, piles, and locks, in ponds j 

 search for them near flood-gates, sluices, and at the 

 mouth of streams that run in and out of a pond, and 

 also about those parts where the bottom is clean, 

 gravelly, or sandy. They bite, all the year, in rivers, 

 but best late in the evening, in hot weather ; in 

 ponds, docks, and still waters during Summer only, or 

 say from April to October. 



The Roach is a species of Carp, with teeth at the 

 entrance of the throat, and, when in season, is a very 

 handsome Fish : they are in season from September 

 until March, at which times their scales are large 

 and lie very smooth, and are of a dark green or bluish 

 hue on the back ; nearer the belly a bright silver co- 

 lour ; they have a fine eye, and the fins are a bright 

 red ; the tail is of a dusky red, somewhat mixed with 

 a light purple hue ; they spawn about the middle of 

 May ; but in forward Summers, or after mild Winters, 

 they will cast their spawn in the latter end of April. 

 For some weeks after, they are very sickly; their scales 

 are nearly as rough as oyster-shells, and they are 

 altogether unfit for food, if caught 3 but at this time 

 Roach are not much disposed to take a bait, for they 



