THE IDE AND GRAINING. 127 



labourer, who had taken these fish from the Learn when the stream was 

 in a more prosperous condition than it is at present. This man told me 

 that its habits were as nearly as he could describe like those of the brook 

 trout, and its weight rarely exceeded half a pound. It takes the fly freely 

 on pccasions when in the humour, and would as readily sulk as does Salmo 

 fario. Red worms were chiefly the bait used, and he had taken as many 

 as six dozen in a few hours. The flavour was superior to dace, more like 

 a trout, but the flesh was white. 



I must fall back on my former authority for the principal character- 

 istics, which are probably more reliable than those furnished by my note 

 book, mine not having been made at the time of seeing the fish, but from 

 memory afterwards. The length of head is said in this work to be, 

 compared with total length of body and tail fin, as 1 to 6; depth of body 

 to the same as 1 to 5. Nose more rounded than in the dace, the upper 

 line of head being straighter, lower edge of foregill cover less angular, 

 dorsal profile less convex. The back fin commences exactly halfway 

 between point of nose and end of fleshy portion of tail, whilst in the 

 dace it commences further back ; all the fins somewhat larger than those 

 of this fish in proportion ; scales rather larger, and the number in lateral 

 line 48. Fleshy part of tail is long and slender. Throat teeth in two 

 rows, numbering two and five on each side. Colour : Upper part of head 

 and body pale drab tinged with red and separated from lighter parts of 

 body below by a well defined line ; cheeks and gill covers silvery yellowish 

 white ; all the fins pale yellowish white. 



I regret to thus close this chapter on these two almost unknown fishes, 

 but as the tyro for whom this is written will hardly be likely to meet the 

 fish often in his peregrinations after sport, what little I have said may be 

 sufficient for the present purpose. 





