AND OF STILL WATERS. 91 



opinion not altogether shared at this side of the 

 Channel. Unlike many other fish, amongst 

 whom polyandry seems to be the order of exist- 

 ence, the gudgeon is a true Mormon, and has at 

 least six wives, if not more. By the beginning 

 of August the fry are about an inch long. The 

 best months for gudgeon- fishing are August, 

 September, October, and even as late as 

 November. Owing to the different times of 

 spawning, the angler will probably find among 

 his take an extraordinary difference of size, some 

 fishes being quite large and others extremely 

 small. The Thames Angling Preservation 

 Society tells its members not to take, or rather 

 not to keep, gudgeon measuring more than five 

 inches from the eye to the end of the tail ; but 

 it is more than doubtful whether any one ever 

 attends to this prohibition. Gudgeon have been 

 known to attain seven inches, and even perhaps 

 eight, but these gobios are monsters, and worthy 

 to be placed in glass cases. The ordinary size 

 for a gudgeon is between five and six inches, and 

 a Thames fisherman is hardly likely to throw 

 back into the water a gudgeon under five inches, 



