34 Coward, Fajuial Survey of Ros theme Mere. 



The Pike, a favourite sport- 

 Esox Inciiis Linnaeus. ing fish at Rostherne, some- 

 times attains considerable 

 size ; we have, however, no record of a heavier weight 

 than 155^ lbs. When walking along the edge of the 

 mere in March and April numbers of spawning Pike will 

 be seen darting through the reeds into deeper water ; 

 indeed, at all seasons it is not uncommon to disturb small 

 Pike from the edge of the mere, but the larger fish do not 

 come so close inshore. Smelts, we are told, have been 

 disgorged by Pike which had just been captured. The 

 stomachs of five that we took on February 28th, 1914, 

 contained very little food ; all, including females, 6 lbs. 

 and 7 lbs. 4 oz. in weight, had been feeding on Asellus 

 aquatiais, and the larvae of aquatic beetles. 



The Eel is a fairly 

 Anguilla anguilla (Linnaeus), abundant fish in the 



mere, and often attains 

 a large size. The largest we know of was over 5 lbs, in 

 weight, 



Mr. J. Millington, the game- 

 Tinca tinea (Linnaeus). keeper at Rostherne, has no 



knowledge of the Tench in 

 the mere, but on May 9th, 1910, Coward saw a dead fish 

 near the bank which he believes was a Tench. It was 

 about 2 ft. long, and had very small scales. He was un- 

 aware, at that time, that the fish was unknown in the 

 mere, and did not examine it carefully. 



The Minnow occurs in 

 Phoxinus aphya (Linnaeus.) Blackburn's Brook, but 



is not common. 

 The Bream occurs at 

 Abramis /^;'(TWrt (Linnaeus.) Rostherne,but is seldom 



fished for, A Bream 

 weighing 5 lbs. 7 oz. has been caught in the mere. 



