THE CARP FAMILY. 167 



out their three hours' existence over their native stream. 

 Whipping for Bleak used to be a favourite amusement 

 with our ancestors, and even with the classical anglers of 

 ancient times : 



" Quis non et virides vulgi solatia Tineas 

 Norit, et ALBUBNOS preedam puerilibus hamis ? " 



By the young Waltonians of the present day, however, 

 Bleak- catching is voted infra dig., and the little fish is 

 seldom molested unless for the purpose of bait. 



Another prolific cause of the destruction of Bleak has 

 much diminished of late years, viz. the manufacture of 

 " patent pearls/' as they were called, in which the Bleak's 

 scales played a prominent part. On the inner surface of 

 these is found a silvery pigment, to which they owe their 

 brilliant metallic lustre; and this colouring-matter was 

 universally used in the bead-trade for imparting a pearly 

 tint to their wares. So great ^ras at one time the de- 

 mand, when the fashion of wearing imitation pearls was at 

 its height, that the price of a quart-measure of scales varied 

 from one guinea to five. At one factory alone, in Paris, 

 10,000 pearls were issued per week ; and when it is con- 

 sidered that each pound of scales cost the lives of 4000 

 fish, and that this pound only produced four ounces of pig- 

 ment, some estimate of the destruction effected amongst the 

 Bleak may be formed. The Thames fishermen gave them- 

 selves no trouble beyond stripping off these valuable ap- 

 pendages, throwing away the fish when scaled. Roach 

 and Dace, and some other species, also furnished a colour- 



