THE GRAINING. 123 



practised in a boat, with a heavy stone to serve as 

 an anchor, fastened to a few yards of rope. The 

 boat drifts gently down the stream, and the stone 

 is dropped whenever the angler considers himself 

 in the neighbourhood of a likely place. Standing 

 in the stern, he first throws directly down the 

 stream, and then to the right and left ; and after 

 trying for about a quarter of an hour in one spot, 

 he again weighs anchor, and proceeds to another 

 station. The English trollers also use the dace as 

 bait for pike, on account of its silvery lustre ; but 

 where a living lure is required, as for lines set by 

 night, a roach is preferable, on account of its 

 greater tenacity of life.* Few, however, advocate 

 live bait fishing now-a-days, either by precept or 

 example. 



THE GRAINIXG.-f- 



This fish is quite unknown in Scotland, and seein.s 

 singularly restricted even in the sister kingdom. 

 According to Mr. Yarrell. it is only to be met 

 with in certain streams in the township of Burton- 

 wood and Sanky, which flow into the Mersey below 

 Warrington, and in others, in or near the town- 

 ship of Knowsley, which also form the Alt, in 

 Lancashire. Its upper parts are of a pale drab 

 colour, tinged with bluish red, and separated from 

 the lighter coloured lower portions by a well-de- 

 fined boundary line. All the fins are of a pale 

 yellowish white. It resembles the trout in its 



* British Fishes, vol. i. p. 354. 



f Leuciscus Lancastriensis, Yarrell. Cyprinus Lancastriensis, Shaw. 



