THE ROACH. 



cooked, which fish it rather resembles in appearance. It 

 abounds in many rivers, and, though not much of a quarry 

 for the angler, may be taken by whipping with a gentle 

 or a small fly on the top of the water, or by using a light 

 quill float, with a scrap of worm or a gentle on a small 

 hook, some ten or fifteen inches under the surface. The 

 neighbourhood of an outflowing drain is always a favourite 

 spot for bleak, and the more filth that exudes from it the 

 more attractive it is. Quick striking must be the order 

 of the day, as they are very sharp and active. The bleak, 

 from its brightness, makes an attractive bait to spin with 

 for trout and jack, but it is tender on the hooks, and soon 

 wean out. The scales formerly fetched a high price from 

 the artificial pearl-makers, for the nacre on them. It 

 spawns usually in the month of May. It delights in warm 

 summer weather, when the surface of the water is often 

 dotted all over with their risings. In winter bleak do not 

 show so much, but get nearer the bottbm, and are much 

 less active. 



THE ROACH (Cyprinus rwtilus). 



The roach is a gregarious fish, abounding in most of our 

 rivers, ponds, and lakes. It feeds upon weeds, worms, 

 grubs, flies, and insects of various kinds ; while it will also 

 feed greedily upon farinaceous matters, as bread, bran, 

 pearl barley, boiled wheat, grain?, &c. Roach spawn 

 about the end of May, after which they shelter a good deal 

 in deep holes, or in the thick weed, living upon the weed 

 and the insects found among it, until the weeds begin to 

 turn sour with the earlier frosts of autumn, when they 

 take rather more to the open streams. At this time, when, 

 as it is termed, ' the weed is out of them,' they are in 

 their very best condition, the slimy coat they wore among 

 the weeds being off them, and their scales hard and bright 

 as silver, and the fins clear and rosy. Roach seldom much 



