THE BREAM 151 



being four times the length of the last. Conversely, the base 

 of the anal fin is much greater than its height, occupying 

 one-fourth of the entire length of the body. The tail fin is 

 deeply divided into two irregular lobes, both acutely pointed, 

 the lower lobe being half as long again as the upper. 



The body scales are rather large, numbering 51 to 

 57 along the lateral line, and are very thickly coated with 

 slime. The colour of the back is very dark olive. In young 

 fish the sides are silvery white, but this becomes tinged with 

 brassy, and even bronzy, hues in older fish. The fins are of 

 inky hue, tinged with blue ; the throat ruddy, the belly 

 white, and the iris golden yellow. 



The name " bream " has been traced to the same original as 

 "bass" (see page 66), which was once written " barse " and 

 " brasse," and may be recognised in the Old French breame 

 (now breme), the old High German Brahsema, the Middle 

 High German Brahsem, and the German Brassen, all applied 

 to the fish which are known as " bream." It has no known 

 connection with the d/3pa/us abramis of Oppian's Halieutics^ 

 which was a sea fish, although Cuvier, attracted by similarity of 

 sound, chose that name to designate the genus. 



The bream is as much at home in rivers as in lakes, and is 



found in most parts of temperate Europe north of the Alps and 



Pyrenees. Although not uncommon in Ireland, it is absent 



from Scotland. It is said to enter the salt water of the Baltic. 



Bream probably are to be seen in the Norfolk Broads in 



greater numbers than elsewhere in England, but they 



abound in the Shropshire meres also, and in some 



rivers of the Midlands, notably the Ouse. 



They swim in large shoals, and are supposed to be under 

 the leadership of one of their clan. They spawn in May or 

 June, when the heads of the males become temporarily covered 

 with warty tubercles and the scales feel rough to the touch. 

 The eggs are yellow, 200,000 or 300,000 in a moderately- 

 sized female, and are left hanging upon water weeds. Like 



