LOACH, OR STONE LOACH. 67 



CHAP. XV. 



LOACH, OR STONE LOACH. 



THIS is a very small fish without scales, 

 has a round body, with whattels or barbs at 

 its mouth, like the Barbel ; it seldom exceeds 

 jfeSfO inches in length, and in colour it re- 

 sembles the Tench, or the golden hue of the 

 Minnow. I have heard they are a delicious 

 fish when fried in batter, or with egg and 

 bread ; but there is some difficulty in catching 

 a dish of them, being scarce as well as small. 

 The Stone Loach is an excellent, indeed, a 

 most killing, bait for large Eels, used on night 

 lines ; they are generally to be found in small 

 gravelly brooks and rivulets I have some- 

 times taken a few in the river Lea, in the 

 shallows, near mill-tails : they lie at the bot- 

 tom, routing the gravel, the same as Barbel 



