THE ROACH. 137 



fish, its flesh is soft and flavoured with the muddy bed 

 on which it for the most part roams. 



The Bream, or Carp-bream (Cyprinus brama, Ab- 

 ramis vulgaris, Abramis brama\ is an inhabitant of 

 large lakes, broads, and deep rivers. These fish feed 

 on worms, and soft animal substances. They go in 

 shoals, and, according to Izaak Walton, have a sentinel 

 watching to give them warning of danger. A large 

 bream weighs 6 or 7 Ib. 



THE ROACH. 



The Roach (Cyprinus rutilus, Leuciscus rutilus) is 

 smaller than most of its tribe, for it seldom exceeds a 

 foot in length, and is about 8 or 10 inches long, and 

 the weight seldom exceeds 2 Ib. It is rather a stout 

 fish. The jaws are without teeth, and the snout is 

 rounded. It is subject to a bad disease, in which the 

 scales become black. Its habitat is similar to that of 

 the Bream. The Azurine, or Blue Roach (Cyprinus 

 cceruleus) is a rare species in Britain. The Dace (C. 

 leudscus) is like the Roach, but smaller, and more 

 slender in form. It is common in the Thames, in 

 many other rivers, and in ponds. The Chub, also 

 a common fish (L. cephalus, or C. cephalus\ though 



