^6 Coward, F an jmI Survey of Rostherne Mere. 



years, and have grown considerably during that period. 

 The food in its stomach largely consisted of Asellus 

 aguaiiciis and the larvae of Caddis-flies in their cases. 



The Smelt or Spar- 

 Osiiierns eperlaniis (Linnaeus), ling is the most in- 

 teresting fish in 

 Rostherne. As already explained," Day's statement that 

 the Smelts were introduced by a Mr. Egerton** is refuted 

 by our knowledge of their presence in the mere at an 

 earlier date than he evidently refers to. It seems to be 

 possible that the anadromous Smelts were land-locked at 

 some remote time, and succeeded in maintaining their 

 position. A rather ingenious theory of monastic intro- 

 duction has been suggested by Mr. H. Hulme. As he 

 points out {ill lit), a portion of the Tatton estate was 

 handed over to the monks of Norton, who established 

 themselves at Mobberley circa 1200, and these Mobberley 

 monks possessed nets and boats and had rights of fishing 

 in Tatton Mere. The monks of Norton I'riory would be 

 familiar with the estuarine Smelts and may have stocked 

 Tatton and Rostherne, or, finding that Tatton was un- 

 suitable for the fish, have established them successfully in 

 Rostherne. There is, however, no documentary evidence 

 referring to actual stocking of either waters. The only 

 Rostherne Smelts which we have seen personally were a 

 number which we cut out of the ice in February, 1895, 

 and two we picked up dead on yXpril 4th, 1912.^*^' 



The earliest known reference to the Rostherne Smelts 

 is in Richard Brookcs's "Art of Angling," published in 

 1740. He calls the fish "the Sprat or Sparling," confus- 



* " Vertebrate Fauna of Cheshire," II., 151, and Coward, T. A., Man- 

 chestir Memoirs, Ivi. {19 12), No. 15. 

 "Britisli Fishes," II., 123. 

 i» Coward, T. A., "The Smelt in Rostherne Mere," Manchester Memoirs, 

 hi. (1912), 15. 



