NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 357 



that the Strongyle worm, and the Strongyle worm alone, is the 

 immediate causa causans of adult 'Grouse Disease.'"* 



The Freshwater Fishes of the British Isles. By C. Tate Began, 

 M.A. Methuen & Co., Ltd. 



The angler frequently knows more about the bionomics of 

 his familiar fishes than does the technical ichthyologist ; on the 

 other hand, he is not versed in the discrimination of species, as 

 may be seen in many records, where Eoach are confused with 

 Eudd and small Chub with Dace. This book is well entitled to 

 its foreword : ** One for the angler, and for all who wish for 

 reliable information as to our fresh-water fishes, their specific 

 characters, geographical distribution, and life-history." 



The Char, on which the author is an authority and can 

 write with first-hand confidence, receives ample treatment, and 

 provides one of the most valuable contributions to the volume — 

 in fact, we must go to this book for a practical digest of the 

 differences and distribution of these fishes. Mr. Began, against 

 the old myth of the friendship of the Pike and Tench, writes: 

 " In some localities a small Tench is said to be a very good bait 

 for a Pike." This is a common opinion among anglers on the 

 Mole, where the writer of this notice has even known a small 

 Perch to serve the same useful purpose. As regards the weight 

 of big Pike, an illustration is given of the " great Pike of 

 Whittlesea Mere," which may be regarded as the record English 

 specimen of that fish, and was stated to weigh 52 lb. ; it was 

 taken when the Mere was drained in 1851. Of the Bream, 

 Mr. Began rightly distinguishes but two species, though among 

 some anglers there is an erroneous disposition to consider there 

 are three. We also read that "on warm summer days a number 

 of these fish may sometimes be seen lying motionless near the 

 surface of the water." This description is not an absolute one, 

 for on some parts of the Mole — a Bream home — these fish can 

 generally be seen on warm summer days in considerable numbers 



'^'- Prof. J. Arthur Thomson, in the Murtle Lecture, delivered in Aberdeen 

 University, 1909, remarked that " vv^ild animals in nature have parasites, but 

 no diseases." Can we absolutely accept this opinion after a perusal of the 

 above report on Grouse disease ? 



