359 



GOLDEN TENCH, OR GOLD SCHLEI. 



I AM happy to be able to report that through the efforts 

 of Higford Biut, Esq., Aldermaston Park, these fish 

 are now thoroughly acclimatised in this country. Re- 

 lative to this successful act of introducing a German 

 fish into Berkshire, Mr. Burr ^\Tites me in October, 

 1880, as follows : — 



" My Dear Buckland, — Do you recollect being here 

 when I di-agged the pond and gave a dejeuner to the 

 Volunteers in September, 1862. It was shortly after 

 that that you sent me three gold tench, which, if I re- 

 collect right, you told me were given you by Sir Stephen 

 Lakeman. I put those three tench into a pond by 

 themselves ; only two lived, but the survivors were 

 luckily male and female. In November, 1864, I let the 

 water off the pond in which they were, and I sent you 

 several fish of Sin. or S^in. long, the fry of 1864, evidently 

 of the fry of 1863, and a number the size of minnows. 



" The first time I ever saw gold tench was in Bohemia, 

 between Eger and Carlsbad, in the year 1856. Whilst 

 the horses of the eilwagen were changing I walked 

 round the garden of the post, and there I saw two or 

 three shoals on the surface. I saw they were not carp, and 

 never before having seen or heard of gold tench, could 

 not make them out ; but subsequently talking of them 

 to some friend, I discovered that they were gold tench. 



" It was fortunate you gave those two gold tench to me, 

 for being quite by themselves they bred much faster 

 than if mixed with other fish ; at least, so it seems to 

 me, for I do not hear from the many friends and others 

 to whom I have liberally distributed them, that they 

 have met with the results that have risen from the one 

 pair that you gave me. I have now two large ponds 



