FUESH-WATEK HERRINGS. 127 



known by its solitary barbule, its slender, elongated shape, and 

 long, solitary anal fin. Living mostly on muddy bottoms, and 

 feeding principally at night, it is more often taken in eel-baskets 

 and on night-lines, than by the angler. This fish is fairly good 

 eating during the autumn and winter months. 



The Aziiriue, incorrectly termed the blue roach, is a 

 beautiful and exceedingly rare variety of rudd only found in 

 a few localities. Its back is slate blue, and its belly and fins 

 are white. It has, says Mr. Cholmondeley Pennell, been angled 

 for and caught on carp baits. 



The Vendace is a member of the salmon tribe. It has an 

 adipose fin, and breeds in autumn and winter. It attains a 

 length of 9in., and is greenish blue or black on the upper 

 half of the body, with belly silver, a glint of gold on sides, 

 and dark fins. This and the three following fish are very 

 similar in appearance, and are sometimes called fresh-water 

 herrings. The vendace is found in certain lakes near Loch- 

 maben, Dumfriesshire, in Derwentwater and the Bassenthwaite 

 Lakes. It is only to be taken in nets. An interesting account 

 of the vendace appeared in the Edinburgh Journal of Natural 

 and Geographical Science, and in the Transactions of the Royal 

 Society of Edinburgh. Extracts from these articles will be found 

 in Keene's " Practical Fisherman." 



Powan are silvery little members of the salmon tribe, which 

 are found in great numbers in Loch Lomond, and, doubtless, 

 in some other large lakes. There is no record, so far as I know, 

 of these fish having been taken by the angler. 



The Follau, also a member of the salmon family, is very 

 similar to the powan. Tons of these fish are netted in some 

 of the large Irish lakes during the year, and sent to England, 

 where they are sold as " Irish grayling." The pollan grows to 

 about lOin. or 12in. in length, swims in shoals, and is supposed to 

 feed on fresh-water shrimps. It will occasionally take the artificial 

 fly. When swimming near the surface, a shoal of these fish will 

 cause a peculiar ripple in the water. Once, after vainly fishing 

 one of these ripples with a fly, I fired a small shot-gun at the 

 edge of the shoal, and picked off a solitary fish. It ate very like 

 a herring, but was more delicate, and less oily. A fine line, 



