BRITISH: SPORTING FISH. 129 



Jesse, who has amusingly classified the several 

 orders and genera of Thames anglers, gives the 

 Roach and Dace fishers a very high rank for 

 skill and patience, and believes that they very 

 seldom attempt, or understand, any other branch 

 of the gentle craft ; whilst my friend Mr. Senior 

 elevates them still further in the angler's " prece- 

 dence," by devoting to their pursuits a charming 

 article entitled " Roach Fishing as a Fine Art." l 



The largest shoals of Roach appear in the 

 Thames about the middle of May or early in 

 June, when they ascend from the lower parts of 

 the river to deposit their spawn in the higher 

 reaches, fighting their way up the strong rapids 

 with persistent energy, until they find a suitable 

 spot. This migration, it has been thought by 

 some authors, takes place from the sea ; but the 

 opinion seems to be erroneous as all experiments 

 have tended to prove that the roach will not live 

 in salt water. A similar annual exodus has been 

 noticed in Loch Lomond and elsewhere. The 

 Roach deposit their spawn on the surface of weeds 

 in shallow water, and whilst in the act of spawning 

 may sometimes be seen by hundreds together with 

 their back-fins out of water : a very few days 

 suffice to complete the reproductive process and 

 the fish then seek swift gravelly shallows on which 

 to scour themselves. These they soon quit, how- 



1 " Badminton Library of Sport : " Longmans & Co. 

 K 



