AND OF STILL WATERS. 95 



England of swallowing loach alive ; but, as he 

 wisely adds, " When this sort of mistaken crav- 

 ing is indulged in, the devourer should at least 

 be cautioned to observe the advice of Ronde- 

 letius, in not mistaking the armed loach for the 

 smooth-cheeked species, and thereby become 

 liable to the penalty of suffering a laceration of 

 his throat, as the struggling victim may be 

 urging his passage into his stomach." 



Linnaeus, in his " Fauna Suecica," records the 

 fact that Frederick I., King of Sweden, had 

 loach brought over from Germany, and natural- 

 ized in Sweden. Gesner, that drawer of the 

 long-bow in all matters piscatorial, for once was 

 right when he spoke highly of the loach's edible 

 qualities, and recommended him as a good dish 

 for invalids. It seems a pity that so excellent a 

 little fish, a worthy substitute for whitebait, 

 should not be cultivated for the table, to the 

 advantage of all fish-eaters. 



From a sporting point of view, the loach, 

 unlike his relation the brave little gudgeon, has 

 but little to recommend him. The most 

 ordinary way in which his capture is effected is 



