FISHES 



caught in great quantities in a few private 

 ponds and lakes. They were without doubt 

 present in the Thames some years ago, but 

 being easily captured have perhaps been ex- 

 terminated. 



11. Dace. Leudscus dobula, Linn. (L. -vul- 



garly Day). 



As we descend the Thames these fish, 

 which are somewhat scarce in the upper 

 reaches, become more plentiful, but in Buck- 

 inghamshire they by no means rival the roach 

 in numbers, nor do they grow to a very re- 

 markable size. In the Colne they run to a 

 better average size than in the Thames, and 

 rise more readily to the fly. 



12. Chub. Leudscus cepha/us, Linn. 



These are river fish and are fairly plentiful 

 in the Thames, but less so in the Colne and 

 the Thame. They grow to a considerable 

 size in the Thames and also in the Ouse. 

 In the former the steam traffic and the 

 anglers together have decimated them ; and 

 whereas in former years an angler with a fly 

 would often take 40 Ib. weight of these fish 

 in a day he now deems himself fortunate if 

 he secures a bag of 10 or 15 Ib. These fish 

 run up to about 5 Ib. in weight, and are 

 most numerous in the Buckinghamshire por- 

 tion of the Thames between Remenham and 

 Maidenhead. 



13. Minnow. Leudscus phoxinus, Linn. 



All the rivers of any importance in the 

 county contain minnows, which, strange to 

 say, are rapidly decreasing in numbers in the 

 Thames. It is believed that the cause of 

 this is the steam traffic, as it cannot be said 

 that they have either been poached or caught 

 in too great numbers by anglers. The Colne 

 minnows are finer than those found in the 

 Thames. 



14. Tench. Tinea vulgarly Cuv. 

 Tench are found in the Thames, the 



Colne, the Thame and the Ouse, but are 

 more plentiful in ponds and lakes, and more 

 frequently caught in still waters. Those 

 from the Thames are considered excellent 

 eating ; but they are a shy fish, not easily 

 captured, and therefore not much sought 

 after. Those which are taken from the 

 Thames generally vary from i\ Ib. 104 Ib. in 

 weight. 



15. Bream. Abramis brama, Linn. 



Are extremely scarce in the upper reaches 

 of the Buckinghamshire portions of the 

 Thames, but get more frequent as we 

 approach the tideway. A few were turned 



in below Henley by the Henley Fishery 

 Association, and some of these are occasion- 

 ally caught. One was taken in 1902 be- 

 tween Marlow and Henley weighing 6 Ib. 



1 6. Bleak. Alburnus luddus, Heck, and Kner. 

 These are quite common fish in the 



Thames. They are little sought after ex- 

 cept by children, their only use being as bait 

 for Thames trout, pike and large perch. The 

 Thames probably produces greater numbers of 

 these fish than any river in England. From 

 their scales was formerly obtained the silvery 

 matter used in the manufacture of artificial 

 pearls. 



17. Loach. Nemachilus barbatu/us, Linn. 

 Loach are found in the rivers and brooks 



in the county, but it cannot be regarded as a 

 common fish except in certain localities. 



1 8. Spined Loach. Cobitis tcenla^ Linn. 



In Bucks and in England generally this 

 fish is both local and rare. In The Field 

 of 31 January, 1902, the Rev. J. P. Langley 

 of Olney, north Bucks, stated that he had 

 caught a specimen, which he kept for some 

 time in his aquarium. 



MALACOPTERYGII 



19. Trout (Brown Trout). Salmo fario, Linn. 

 Very large sums of money have been spent 



in turning trout into the Thames, and now 

 that the manner in which it should be done 

 is better known the results should be still 

 more satisfactory. At the Anglers' Hotel at 

 Great Marlow are splendid specimens of 

 Thames trout which have been caught in 

 the district. It does not appear that these 

 fish breed in the Thames to any extent, and 

 the brooks up which they might run to breed 

 are extremely few in number. The Thames 

 therefore has for the most part to rely for its 

 trout on the restocking operations mentioned. 

 Like the Thames the Colne is noted for the 

 fine trout it produces. 



20. Rainbow Trout. Salmo irideus, Gibbons. 

 This fish has been introduced into the 



Thames comparatively recently, and it is 

 difficult to say yet whether it will remain 

 in its new quarters. As fish culturists find 

 it a somewhat easier fish to rear and breed 

 than Salmo fario it is possible that it may 

 breed in the Thames to a greater extent than 

 the native trout. 



21. Grayling. Tbymallus vulgaris, Nilss. 

 This is a very uncommon fish in the 



county. One straying from a Berkshire 

 tributary is occasionally found in the Thames. 



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