CHAPTER XVI. 



THE IDE AND GRAINING. 



THE Ide (Leuciscus idus) , although generally known over all the northern 

 parts of Europe, is so little known in England that it is indeed doubtful 

 whether it has ever been taken from any of our home lakes or streams. 

 I should not have referred to it here had it not been that Mr. Pennell, in 

 the " Angler Naturalist," makes use of a statement that one was taken at 

 the mouth of the Nith. I, therefore, for the benefit of any angler who 

 may capture a strange fish at all differing from the ordinary cyprinidce, 

 render the following principal characteristics of the fish : The head is 

 large and chublike ; the mouth is, however, almost as small as a roach ; 

 outline of back convex almost as much so, indeed, as a grayling ; line 

 of beily straight ; scales and teeth almost precisely similar in number 

 and size to those of a chub ; colour, upper part of body olive black, with 

 a bluish tint occasionally ; side darkish grey ; belly white ; fins, all except 

 back and tail, which are dark grey, precisely like those of a well fed 

 chub. The fin rays are thus given by Pennell : Dorsal, 11 ; pectoral, 

 17 ; ventral, 11 ; anal, 13 or 14 ; caudal, 19. From this list it will be 

 seen that the fish curiously comes near the chub in the numbering of the 

 fin rays, except in those of the tail, which contains precisely the same 

 number as the dace. 



The Graining (Leuciscus Lancastriensis) . This is also a very rare local 

 fish, being found, in some parts of the Mersey, the Lancashire Alt, the 

 Learn at Leamington, and it is also said to inhabit the lakes of Neuchatel 

 and Thun. I freely confess never to have taken either this or the ide, 

 though I have seen specimens of both. Of the ide I obtained very few 

 particulars as to capture ; of the graining, however, I have something 

 more to say in reference to capture, derived from an old Warwickshire 



