THE TENCH 183 



made my way towards them, and under cover of 

 the bushes that fringed the shore I got near enough 

 to observe them with care and without betraying 

 my own presence. They lay at the mouth of a small 

 brook, the water of which was cool and clear, but so 

 scanty that the pebbles at the bottom were almost 

 dry. They were Gudgeons. They approached the 

 mouth of the brook. With rapid strokes they came 

 swiftly on and advanced about a metre up the 

 brook, not leaping, but in a manner gliding over the 

 pebbles. After this first spurt they stopped, bent 

 the trunk and tail alternately to the right and left, 

 and in this way rubbed the ventral side against the 

 bottom. With the exception of the belly and the 

 lower part of the head their whole body now lay 

 out of the water. They retained this position for 

 seven or eight seconds. Then they dealt a sharp 

 blow with the tail on the bottom, splashing the 

 water in all directions, turned round, and darted 

 back to the lake, soon to repeat the same operation." 



The Gudgeon affords good sport in spite of its 

 small size, as it readily takes a worm ; moreover, it 

 is excellent food, of delicate flavour, and easily 

 digested. 



The name Gudgeon is derived from the Latin 

 Gobionem through the French Goujon. 



The Tench {Tinea tinea or T. vulgaris) is well 

 distinguished from other British Cyprinoids. In 

 form it is moderately deep and rather stout, with 

 the dorsal profile convex from the head to the dorsal 

 fin. The head is broad, with the eyes rather small, 

 the snout blunt, and the mouth terminal and oblique, 

 with a short barbel on each side near the corner. 



