BRITISH SPORTING FISH. 109 



amongst the smallest, if not actually the most 

 minute of the whole family ; the general hue of the 

 Carp is golden and bronze, that of the Tench deep 

 olive green ; and whilst the former makes one of 

 the very best Pike-baits I am acquainted with, 

 the latter, it is affirmed, exerts upon that usually 

 omnivorous gourmand an effect absolutely repel- 

 lent. Of the truth of this, as a fact, there seems to 

 be no reason to doubt, though we are not, of 

 course, bound to put implicit faith in the various 

 theories by which it has at different times been 

 explained. Of these the most universally accepted 

 amongst ancient, and even by some modern 

 authors appears to be that the Tench is in some 

 way the physician of the water, possessing in the 

 thick slime with which he is covered, a natural 

 balsam for the cure of himself and others. Ron- 

 deletius even says that he saw a great recovery 

 effected upon a sick man by the application of a 

 Tench to his feet. 



Without, however, trenching so nearly on the 

 domain of the miraculous, there certainly are many 

 accounts on record of the restoration of sick and 

 wounded fish by contact with the Tench. The fol- 

 lowing, mentioned by Mr. Wright, in his book on 

 " Fishes and Fishing," is one out of a hundred 

 of such alleged instances that might be quoted : 



" A gentleman, who was unfortunately unable to 

 leave the house for some time through an accident, 



