34 THE HABITS AND HAUNTS OF FISH. 



tribe. These are occasionally taken for new varieties, 

 and new species. In early morning, with the first 

 gleam of the sun in the east, the bream, in common 

 with most fish of like order, are to be observed play- 

 fully gambolling and turning over, so that their most 

 frequent haunts are easily discernible to the early 

 riser. When a bream suddenly descends from near 

 the surface of the water, unlike any other fish, it 

 causes bubbles to appear upon the water immediately 

 above it. This must be owing to its peculiar 

 formation. It probably emits a certain portion of 

 oxygen by the exertion. The teeth of the bream, 

 as with other aquatic vegetarians, are in the throat, 

 there being, in the case of the common bream, a 

 series of five upon each bone, a double complement 

 of these being possessed by the white variety. Bream 

 spawn in July. They always frequent the deepest 

 parts of the water they inhabit, and are fond of 

 weedy quarters. About the middle of October they 

 are in the height of condition. It is not in every 

 likely-looking place upon a river known to contain 

 bream that they are found. They are rather migra- 

 tory as well as gregarious, and are given to roam, 

 changing their haunts, for no apparent reason, for 

 an indefinite period. These fish seldom attain more 

 than 6 or 7 Ibs. weight, though specimens are 

 occasionally taken scaling considerably more. 



ROACH (Leuciscus rutilus) are also gregarious, 

 congregating and swimming together in shoals. 

 They are generally numerous at the lower portions 

 of trout streams, in water from three to five feet in 



