234 FAUNA OF SHROPSHIRE. 



difficult to capture ; they swim in shoals, and ground bait 

 is commonly employed by anglers to gather and confine 

 them to one spot. 



RUDD. The Rudd is caught in Bomere and Shomere 

 L. erythrophthalmus. Pools, near Shrewsbury, and in Fenny- 

 mere, near Baschurch. It is confined 

 to waters of a stagnant character, or lagoon-like 

 expanses, like the Norfolk Broads. It is a handsome 

 fish and not so common as the Roach. The prevailing 

 colour of the Rudd is golden, or silver, with a reddish- 

 orange tint. The body is deeper and flatter than 

 the Roach and the head shorter and more " chubby." 

 The most obvious structural difference between Roach 

 and Rudd, and one which never varies, is to be found in 

 the relative position of the dorsal fin ; this in the Roach 

 commences, or originates as nearly as possible over the 

 ventral fins, whilst in the Rudd it begins considerably 

 further back. The name Rudd is obviously derived from 

 its colouring. 



CHUB. A thick-headed fish, which has for this reason 

 L. cephalus. been christened the " loggerhead." It 



is rather dull-coloured, but has bright 

 red fins. The Chub is perhaps the most common fish in 

 the Severn and tributaries. In hot weather numbers 

 may be seen basking in the sunshine close to the surface, 

 or swimming lazily underneath the willows. The flesh 

 of the Chub is coarse and almost tasteless, and it has a 

 large number of forked bones, so that it is held in little 

 regard by anglers. Izaac Walton says of him, "the 

 French esteem him so mean as to call him * un vilain,' " 

 but nevertheless he gives a recipe by which the flesh 



