THE TENCH. 249 



1874, one was taken in the Thames at Sonning scaling 

 5 lbs., and one at the Rye House on the Lea, last April, 

 4 lbs. ; and a year or two ago, when the water was very low 

 at Elstree Reservoir, a large number were taken of 

 between 3 lbs. and 4 lbs. The best sample of tench I ever 

 saw I " assisted" in catching in the Hampshire Avon, a few 

 miles above Christchurch, in the year 1868, when Colonel 

 Fane kindly put his salmon nets and fishermen at the 

 disposal of a friend and myself for the day. We had but 

 little luck with the chief object of our netting, but one of 

 the " shoots " in deep still water under the boughs of a 

 wide-spreading oak produced five grand tench — we were 

 not aware there was such a fish in the river — which on 

 being tested on the steelyard averaged just over 5 lbs. each. 

 We returned them to the water after due admiration, but 

 I have often regretted that I did not keep the largest for 

 a glass case. I shall be a lucky man if I ever capture 

 " his like again " with rod and line, for he weighed close 

 upon 6 lbs. I have, however, seen it stated that in Italy 

 the tench grows to 20 lbs. 



Gastronomically, I have no opinion, or rather a very 

 bad opinion of the tench, ranking him even below the 

 carp. The ancients seemed to have differed in opinion as 

 to his merits. Ausonius, I see from Dr. Badham, speaks 

 disparagingly of him, as the poor man's pis-aller, and 

 ranks him with other "vile fish;" and an old Silesian 

 physician says, " The tench is a vile, neglected fish, very 

 flabby and glutinous, bad for digestion — a food only fit 

 for paupers and serfs ;" while others seem rather inclined 

 to commend him. He was kept in stews in this country 

 like carp in days when fresh-water fish of all kinds appear 

 to have been eaten, if not appreciated ; and at the present 



