THE PERCH FAMILY. 65 



of a " day's fishing in his private water " to the usual 

 attractions of a suburban villa. The bait took. A day was 

 fixed; and punctual to his appointment arrived the sports- 

 man, with the usual assortment of rods, reels, lines, &c. 

 He was all impatient to be at his work ; but his host per- 

 suaded him first to partake of luncheon ; after which he in- 

 troduced him to ' ' his water" which proved to be an orna- 

 mental basin, in width about equal to the length of one of 

 the rods the visitor had brought with him. The chagrin 

 and disappointment of the latter may be imagined; but 

 upon the assurance that there really were fish in the pond, 

 he put his tackle together and adjusted a bait. It had 

 hardly touched the water before he hooked and landed a fine 

 Perch ; another and another followed, and by the time his 

 friend came to summon him to dinner, he had thirty-five 

 fish in his basket. " Well," said the kind-hearted host, 

 ' ' I am glad you have had such sport ; I caused three dozen 

 to be put in the day before yesterday." " Indeed," re- 

 plied the angler, " then I will come back and catch the 

 thirty-sixth after dinner." 



Though attaining their greatest perfection in clear, sharp 

 streams, Perch thrive well on clayey or sandy bottoms, 

 preferring generally a water of a moderate depth and cur- 

 rent, and frequenting holes, mill-dams, hollow banks, and, 

 in summer, the under-currents of wears. In winter their 

 favourite haunts are back-waters and eddies ; and at this 

 time of the year they feed best about the middle of the 

 day, more particularly if bright and warm. They usually 



