X. 



CONCERNING SMALL FRY. 



ii. 



QUITE one of the most beautiful of fresh-water 

 fishes is the Bleak a pretty little study in green 

 and silver, and whose technical name implies 

 " white dace." It rarely attains to any great 

 size, though it may well be designated a ( sporting 

 fish." Although the angler may hardly think it 

 worth his while, yet the youthful savages to which 

 we have referred sometimes test the sporting 

 qualities of the bleak with considerable success. 

 Pleasant it is to watch the fish on a summer 

 evening rushing at every fly that touches the 

 water. Once, and once only, have we had an 

 evening with bleak. Staying at a country house, 

 we discovered that the fish inhabited a large pond 

 in the orchard, and immediately commenced to 

 angle for them with the most primitive weapons. 

 Nevertheless, within a couple of hours we had 

 done such execution, that we had to desist for 



G 2 



