A HISTORY OF WORCESTERSHIRE 



used to describe the fish found in the brooks 

 in the county, and which does not as a rule 

 migrate. So restricted, S. fario may be said 

 to be a common form in some of the brooks 

 and tributaries, but unfortunately decreasing 

 in numbers. Few trout are now found in 

 the Worcestershire part of the Severn itself, 

 except sterile specimens that have turned 

 cannibals, dropped down from some of the 

 streams, and taken up their abode usually 

 under one of the weirs. Originally all, or 

 nearly all, the streams and brooks in the county 

 held trout, and probably nothing else, but the 

 coarse fish are yearly driving the trout higher 

 and higher up the streams in which they still 

 are found. In some cases hybrid forms appear 

 as trout. Yearling trout have been obtained 

 from a distance, turned down, and bred with 

 the native fish, but it is doubtful if the result 

 is satisfactory. The quality of the Worcester- 

 shire trout varies greatly ; a trout from the 

 Teme itself is hardly ever in first-rate con- 

 dition, while trout from its tributaries are at 

 the same time in splendid order. 



24. Grayling. Thymallus vexillifer, Linn. 

 The grayling is found in some numbers 



in the Teme and its tributaries, but is not 

 now seen, except a chance specimen, in the 

 Severn itself in Worcestershire. In some of 

 the smaller streams which are suited to it 

 the grayling does more than hold its own, and 

 increases faster than the trout. 



25. Allice Shad [Twaite, Shad]. Clupea ahsa, 



Linn. 

 This fish, which was never very common, 

 as only stragglers run so far up the river, has 



become very rare since the erection of the 

 navigation weirs, but is still taken in some 

 numbers in the river below Gloucester. It 

 ascends the river at the end of April and 

 May, but seems unable to pass up a fish 

 ladder, and unless the tide is high enough 

 to take the fish over the weir it now never 

 passes up. 



26. Twaite [Shad, Twaite Shad]. Clupea 



fintOy Linn. 

 This fish used to be caught in the Severn 

 and Teme in very large numbers every year. 

 It ascends in small shoals to spawn in May 

 and June. Like the shad it rarely if ever 

 passes through a fish pass, and only comes 

 up if there is a high tide and a freshet. 

 The shoals hardly ever contain more than 

 a dozen fish, but the number of these shoals 

 used to be very large. They take a bait 

 greedily and give most excellent sport with 

 a rod and line. 



APODES 



27. Eel. Anguilla vulgaris, Turt. 



The commonest fish in the Severn and its 

 tributaries. The adult fish descend the river 

 from June to Christmas on every freshet, and 

 are caught in large numbers in fixed traps at 

 weirs and in large nets. They run to a large 

 size ; over 3 lb. is not uncommon, but the 

 average would be about | lb. The male eels 

 are called ' stick eels.' The young eels, 

 ' elvers,' ascend the rivers in March, April 

 and May in enormous numbers, usually only 

 on the spring tide, and in greater numbers if 

 the wind is from one quarter — south-west. 



CYCLOSTOMES 



28. Lamprey [Lamprey Eel]. Petromyzon 



marinus, Linn. 

 This form ascends the rivers to spawn in 

 May and June, but in decreasing numbers, 

 probably because the localities fit for spawn- 

 ing are becoming fewer. The most fre- 

 quented places at present are on the lower 

 Teme, where some may be seen every year. 

 On the Severn the fish are only taken at the 

 weirs on their way up to the Teme. The 

 fish work in pairs, and make a cavity in the 

 river bed, where the spawn is deposited. The 

 size of the stones they will remove is almost 

 incredible. Having spawned they drop back 

 into the deep water and are not seen again. 



29. Lampern. Petromyzon fluviati In, Linn. 

 This form ascends the rivers in very large 



numbers in any freshet from September to 



March. It is found at all the weirs on the 

 Severn and Teme, and is taken in wicker 

 baskets, called ' wheels,' laid on the weirs, 

 into which they force themselves. They 

 spawn about March. A few years ago 

 they were taken in large numbers for bait 

 for cod, but this trade has now fallen off. 



30. Pride [Lamprey, Vamprey]. Petromyzon 

 bronchia Us, Linn. 

 This form never exceeds four or five 

 inches, and is mainly used as a bait for 

 chub ; it may be found in the rivers all 

 the year round. In the autumn freshets 

 numbers of so-called pride are taken in the 

 eel nets, obviously descending to the sea, and 

 it seems doubtful if these are not either a 

 distinct species or the young of one of the 

 two other species. 



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