THE PERCH 



He and a friend took home with them thirty-seven 

 perch which weighed 60 lb. Many of them were 

 2 lb., and some were over that weight. Mr. Francis's 

 companion had three large perch on his paternoster 

 at the same time. He bagged two of them ; one was 

 2 lb., the other 2 lb. 4 oz., and the one which got 

 away was larger than either of them, which, by the 

 way, is a common experience. But alas ! the glories 

 of the Kennet as a perch river have departed. This 

 in all probability is owing to crude sewage no longer 

 being allowed to pour into the stream. 



Nothing is more conducive to building up a 

 portly perch, trout, chub, dace, or roach than a 

 liberal amount of sewage free from injurious chemi- 

 cals. I do not suggest that the fish batten on the 

 sewage to any extent ; but the sewage has a manurial 

 effect on the water-weeds, and also brings about an 

 enormous growth of freshwater shrimp and other 

 water insects on which fish feed. For instance, trout 

 in the Wandle cannot breed, the sewage fungus 

 destroying the eggs ; but the trout with which the river 

 is artificially stocked from time to time grow amaz- 

 ingly plump and fat, with small heads and deep, thick 

 bodies. 



One reason why few big perch are caught now- 

 adays is undoubtedly the custom I have already 



