THE COMMON OR CARP BREAM. 1 



|E pass now to the Breams, which are 

 distinguished from the thick-skinned 

 Carps by their bright nacry scales. 

 Unlike the latter fish and the Barbel, 

 the Breams have no strong bony rays in the fins, 

 nor any beards at the corners of the mouth. The 

 body in all the species is deep and thin, or com- 

 pressed, the outlines above and below being very 

 convex : the base of the back-fin is short, and 

 placed further back than the ventral fin, whilst the 

 base of the anal fin is very long. 



If we may credit the French proverb quoted by 

 Izaak Walton, that " He that hath Breams in his 

 pond is able to bid his friend welcome," these fish 

 would seem to be in considerable request on the 

 Continent as an edible. In England they are 

 seldom considered worth cooking, and the variety 

 known as the White Bream, or Bream- Flat, enjoys 

 a thoroughly evil reputation. Few fish, however, 



1 Abramis brama. Abramis, a Bream, Gr.; brama, the 

 Bream, Lat. 



