46 BRITISH SPORTING FISHES. 



fish, but by exercising a little patience, he may 

 overcome all their idiosyncrasies. After our ex- 

 periences, we must admit that the roach is a 

 delicate fish to circumvent, always supposing that 

 he has attained to any size. But once on the 

 bank, there is no gainsaying his beauty as he 

 flops out his life among the docks and nettles. 

 The fish are just clean and bright from spawning, 

 and this is how they show : Back and upper 

 parts of a delicate weedy green, flashing and 

 glowing with metallic lustre ; these colours pale 

 as they approach the medial line, and then turn 

 silver, which passes into white on the under 

 parts ; the back and tail fins stand out sharply in 

 dull red, the anal and ventral fins glowing with 

 crimson. These, with a symmetrical body, and 

 a tiny, "blood-like" head turned into broad 

 shoulders, complete the picture of a handsome 

 fish. As much cannot be said of the edible 

 qualities of the roach as for his gentlemanly 

 appearance, though he has his champions in this 

 respect too, only he requires to be daintily done 

 in the cooking. 



The roach is a fish of many waters, and 

 seems peculiarly adapted to various environments. 

 He is at home in sluggish streams with muddy 

 bottoms, though his colours become a little dulled ; 

 here, too, in this clear tarn, high on the hills, 



