276 COOKERY OF THE PIKE AND PERCH 



minnow, which he generally finds in abundance, 

 though he falls back on occasion on small roach, dace, 

 gudgeon, worms and grubs, and also on frogs. Con- 

 sequently, while the meat of the pike is strong 

 and full-flavoured, that of the perch is mild, almost 

 to insipidity. Notwithstanding, in former days, 

 when sea fish were seldom forthcoming, he was 

 held in no small repute, both as ' good fysheing 

 and good eating.' Walton says that physicians 

 recommended him as very nutritious, though in 

 the opinion of many he was hard of digestion 

 which we fancy was a fallacy. Perch abound 

 everywhere in British waters, except in Wales, and 

 in Scotland to the north of the Tweed. In some of 

 the northern lakes, where they swarm, and which 

 are probably overstocked, they run exceedingly small ; 

 but they sometimes attain to very considerable size, 

 though we may reject as mythical the stories of 

 monsters killed on the Continent. Neither is size 

 in this case any recommendation, nor do we find 

 that the perch, like the pike, was ever in favour as 

 a * fish of state.' In our judgment, by far the most 

 satisfactory way of dressing is in a souche. Authors 

 have had little to say in praise of the perch, and even 

 Walton is not enthusiatic, though he has heard that 

 it was much esteemed in Italy. But Dr. Opimian, in 



