PERCA LABKAX. 149 



5 Ibs. 13 ozs., relative to which fish the late Lord 

 Inverurie asked a question in the Fishing Gazette 

 of February 3rd, 1894, and received the following 

 answer : " A heavy perch. The river Lunan, 

 on which the town of Forfar is situated, is a tidal 

 river, and sea-perch, or bass {Perca labrax), ascend 

 the brackish water a considerable distance. Was 

 not the Lunan fish caught by Sergeant Milne a 

 sea-perch ? What number of bony rays were there 

 in its dorsal fin ? " 



There A\as no reply to this. 



Dagenham Breach, Essex, was also credited many 

 years ago with an 8 Ibs. perch, but as there had 

 been an exceedingly high tide, when the Thames 

 overtopped its bank, causing an influx of brackish 

 water into that lake or gulf, the fish spoken of was 

 no doubt a Perca labrax, A perch of 6 Ibs. was 

 accredited to Mr. Hunt, of Brades, Staffordshire, 

 as captured by him in the Birmingham Canal ; 

 and another of the same weight is said to have 

 been taken at Slapton Ley. Some years ago a 

 perch of 7 Ibs. was reported to have been taken in 

 the New Cut, between Readham and Herringfleet, 

 but as the water there is tidal and brackish, the 

 fish was doubtless Perca labrax. All these 

 specimens were "topped" by a fish at the 1883 

 International Fisheries Exhibition. It was shown 

 by the Birmingham and Midland Piscatorial Asso- 

 ciation and described on its glass case, also in the 

 official catalogue, as a " io Ibs. perch, taken on 

 one of the Norfolk Broads " ; it was proved to be a 

 bass or sea-perch, with the spines of its dorsal fin 

 " faked," and five dark stripes painted on the body. 

 It was promptly turned out from the exhibition 

 as a fraud. The lakes of Lapland hold enormous 



