272 THE COMPLETE ANGLEE. [PART I. 



cunning, so the roach is accounted the water-sheep for his 

 simplicity or foolishness. It is noted that the roach and 

 dace recover strength, and grow in season in a fortnight 

 after spawning ; the barbel and chub in a month ; the trout 

 in four months ; and the salmon in the like time, if he gets 

 into the sea and after into fresh-water. 



Roaches be accounted much better in the river than in a 

 pond, though ponds usually breed the biggest. But there 

 is a kind of bastard small roach that breeds in ponds, with a 

 very forked tail, and of a very small size, which some say is 

 bred by the bream and right roach, and some ponds are 

 stored with these beyond belief; and knowing men that 

 know their difference call them Euds : 1 they differ from the 



The Rudd. 



true roach as much as a herring from a pilchard. And these 

 bastard-breed of roach are now scattered in many rivers, 



1 The Rudd (or red eye) is believed to be a distinct species, and is found 

 in many of the English rivers, and abundantly in Lough Neagh in Ireland. 

 There is no well authenticated instance of a hybrid fish, and Mr. Yarrell 

 doubts their existence. Moses Brown says, in his note on this passage, 

 "The rudd differs very much from Walton's description : it is reckoned 

 preferable to the roach, and inferior to none of the first rank. He is of a 

 golden colour, like the carp, with scales as large ; his tail a light, and his 

 belly fins a dark red ; and is from twelve to sixteen inches long ; the 

 largest weigh two pounds : he is broad, thick, strongly made ; struggles 

 hard ; feeds usually near the top of the water, and is therefore taken with 

 a fly or small red worm ; and is always in season, excepting in April, 

 spawning time. It has been said this fish is peculiar to the Tare, in 

 Norfolk ; but other streams have them, as the Rudder, in Essex, above 

 Ilford Bridge ; and the Ouse, in Buckinghamshire, in plenty, where he is 

 called a shallow ; Witham, in Buckinghamshire, and the Thames upward. 

 In some places he is called a finscale." 



