CHAPTER XIX. 



THE BLEAK. 



THE bleak (Leuciscus albumus, from albus, white), blay, or willow- 

 blade, as it is prettily termed in Yorkshire, next demands our atten- 

 tion. The name bleak is taken from a northern word signifying to 

 bleach, to whiten (blilc, Danish ; Hick, Swedish ; and German, llicTcen, 

 to "glimmer or glance"). It is found in nearly all rivers throughout 

 Europe, and in prodigious quantities in the Caspian Sea. It is also 

 plentiful in the Seine, Marne, and Moselle. The following is a detailed 

 description of its physique and general appearance : The colour on back, 

 head, and tail, and back fin, a bluish green, sometimes varying to almost 

 whitey green, at others to a beautiful pea green; pectoral and anal 

 fins nearly of the same hue, with similar variations ; ventral fins pure 

 white, sides and belly a sheeny silvery white, sometimes rarely iri- 

 descent; eye golden yellow, with green tinge; the scales are rather 

 small and slightly set, so are easily detached, the sides compressed and 

 flattened, back very little convex. Now for proportions. The whole 

 length of the fish, head, body, and tail fin, if considered as 6, the length 

 of the head is as 1, and is small and delicate, with under lip projecting 

 slightly and a fragile grayling-like upper lip. Depth of body from 

 shoulder to commencement f pectoral fin somewhat greater than length 

 of head. The back fin, unlike the dace, commences much nearer the tail 

 than the opposite ventral fins. The back fin of the dace commences 

 just over the ventrals. So much for a technical description. A word- 

 painting of the little fish's slender brilliant beauty would be out of place 

 in a work devoted to " practical" considerations, so I must perforce leave 

 the above in all its bare precision. 



The bleak spawns in May and June, sometimes earlier but rarely later, 

 and is exceedingly prolific. Like the dace and roach they assume a 

 certain roughness, and the males often congregate in immense herds 

 during and after the process of impregnation. At Anjou, where the 



