A HISTORY OF ESSEX 



HAPLOMI 



* 80. Pike. Esox lucius, Linn. 



This fish is found in all parts of the 

 county, both in rivers and ponds, but never 

 appears to attain the size sometimes found in 

 those counties where more extensive tracts of 

 water are found. 



The largest one of which we have any 

 record was taken at Dagenham on November 

 22, 1896. It weighed 30 Ib. (Badminton 

 Mag. 1897, p. 628). 



OSTARIOPHYSI 



* 8 1 . Carp. Cyprinus carpio, Linn. 



Occurs in many of the sluggish streams 

 and also in numerous ponds. 



*8a. Crucian or Prussian Carp. Cyprinus 



carassius, Linn. 



Has been introduced into many of our 

 ponds, but it does not appear to occur in 

 any of our rivers excepting the Lea, where 

 one was caught by Mr. Williams near Tot- 

 tenham (Land and Water, November, 1887, 

 p. 412). Day says (Fishes of Great Britain, 

 ii. 1 66) it is very common about London. 



* 83. Goldfish. Cyprinus auratus, Linn. 



Does not occur in any of our rivers. It is 

 however naturalized in ponds throughout the 

 county. 



* 84. Barbel. Barbus vulgaris, Flem. 



This is probably another introduced species 

 as far as Essex is concerned. According to 

 Day (Fishes of Great Britain, ii. 171) and 

 Yarrell (British Fishes, i. 322) it occurs in 

 the Lea. 



*85. Gudgeon. Gobio fluviatilh, Flem. 



A fish that occurs in numbers in all our 

 rivers, but is mostly local. It abounds in the 

 Lea and Stort. 



*86. Roach. Leuciscus rutilus, Linn. 

 Found everywhere in streams and ponds. 



Rudd. Leuciscus erythrophthalmus, Linn. 



Considerable numbers of this fish occur in 

 the Suffolk Stour. It is rare in the Colne 

 and common in the Lea. Mr. Pennell found 

 (Day's Fishes of Great Britain, ii. 1 84) a lemon 

 or yellow-coloured variety in some ponds near 

 Romford. 



Another variety called a blue roach occurs 

 in the small stream entering the sea near 

 Clacton. It is described in Land and Water, 

 1876, p. 153. 



*88. Dace. Leuciscus dobula, Linn. 



A fish found in the Chelmer, the Stour, 

 and according to Lieutenant Croft (Trans. 

 Herts Nat. Hist. Sac. ii. 13) in the Lea. It 

 occurs probably in other streams also. 



* 89. Chubb. Leuciscus cephalus, Linn. 



Until quite recently this was another in- 

 habitant of the Lea only among Essex rivers. 

 Now it must be added to the list of Black- 

 water fish, as the Witham Angling Society 

 has turned into that river 350 specimens 

 (Field, Feb. 29, 1896, p. 320). 



*9O. Minnow. Leuciscus phoxinus, Linn. 

 Frequent in most of the rivers of Essex. 



*9i. Tench. Tinea vulgaris, Cuv. 



Is an inhabitant of many ponds in all parts 

 of the county, and occurs also in the Stour, 

 Colne, Lea and probably in all the other 

 rivers. 



*92. Lake Bream. Abramis brama, Linn. 



This is found in considerable numbers in 

 the Essex and Suffolk Stour and in some other 

 Essex rivers. The variety called Pomeranian 

 bream is found, according to Day (Fishes of 

 Great Britain, ii. 195), on the authority of 

 Yarrell, in Dagenham Breach, where it is 

 still plentiful (Land and Water, Aug. 4, 1888, 

 P- 134)- 



*93> White Bream. Abramis blicca, Bloch. 



It occurs in the Essex and Suffolk Stour, 

 also in the Lea (Trans. Herts Nat. Hist. Soc. 

 ii. 12), but not so commonly as the last 

 species. 



*94. Bleak. Alburnus lucidus, Heckel. 



Day says (Fishes of Great Britain, ii. 200) 

 this is found in the Lea, but does not appear 

 to be known in any other Essex river. 



*95. Loach. Nemachilus barbatulus, Linn. 



Found in all our smaller streams where 

 there is a gravelly bottom. 



A specimen of the continental sheat-fish 

 (Silurus glanis, Linn.) was captured in the 

 Stour and recorded (Field, Sept. 8, 1894, 

 p. 411), and a full account was therein given 

 of the attempts made to acclimatize this 

 species in English waters, fortunately I think 

 without success. But as it has been taken in 

 Essex waters many years after the attempts 

 referred to, allusion to it may be made in 

 this list. 



226 



