BRITISH FRESH-WATER FISHES 



smaller as its maximum weight is only about ij pounds. 

 It is an inhabitant of sluggish waters, and keeps fairly 

 close to the bed of the lake, or river, it frequents. It 

 there searches for food, which consists of insects, 

 molluscs, worms, and various vegetable matter. When 

 spawning- time arrives in May, shallow water is resorted 

 to, the eggs being laid on the weeds. In Winter deeper 

 water is sought. Bream cannot be regarded as the 

 possessors of sportive dispositions, and when once 

 hooked there is no effort to make a bold bid for liberty^ 

 The silver colour of the scales has given this species the 

 names of White or Silver Bream, but it is greenish on 

 the back, and has greyish fins. It has a larger eye than 

 Abramis brama, a less protruding snout, but a more 

 prominent mouth. It is a very slimy fish, and although 

 it can be easily caught, is of little service for the table. 

 The name has been acquired from an old French word, 

 the origin of which is obscure. 



Fig. 51. White Bream. 



Common Bream. — Abramis brama (Fig, 52). This 



species belongs to a different genus to the last-named, and 



is much more plentiful. It thrives exceedingly on the 

 96 



