98 " FISHES AND FISHING. 



year, and as above, is the Oxley Mill, or Abbey river, 

 near Chertsey ; it comes out of the Thames, about Pen- 

 ton Hook, near Staines ; most probably a cut made 

 artificially by the monks of Chertsey Abbey, to give 

 motive power to their mill, a little above Chertsey 

 bridge, where this river discharges itself again into 

 the Thames; a small stream arising at or near Egham 

 joins it. There are few rivers better stocked with 

 pike, perch, roach, dace, and chub, than this ; the 

 soil it runs over, is partly a sandy loam. During 

 the heavy floods'of winter, very deep holes, alter- 

 nating with shallows, have been formed, and from the 

 light colour of the bottom, the fish can be clearly seen 

 in them in great depths during bright days. I have 

 seen a dozen or more of perch swimming together, 

 not one less than two to three pounds ; and I saw 

 one about four pounds, seize a roach near or quite 

 six ounces, which the perch pressed against the bank, 

 endeavouring to turn the former, so as to take him 

 head foremost ; when the perch had accomplished that 

 object, he sailed away into deep water, with part of 

 the tail end of the roach projecting from his mouth ; 

 — a fact which proves what I have just before ob- 

 served as to fish of prey. 



This river is encumbered with wood, but fine chub 

 maybe taken by dibbing with a large blue-bottle, a 

 moth, or, during the season, a cockchafer. 



