IN THE MIDLANDS. 1 1 3 



relative the bream, need never be thought of as a common 

 article of food, he is a foeman worthy of your (Limerick) 

 steel. Ten, twelve, and fourteen pound fish have been taken 

 from both Thames and Trent, and the barbel has this point 

 in his favour — once- fairly hooked, his leather mouth will not 

 give way, so that the angler may cope with him in the con- 

 fident hope that with patience and care the prize is his. As 

 the fish loves swift deep streams, and the company of his 

 fellows, barbel angling at successful times is a merry busi- 

 ness both as to quantity and quality. 



The chub is on a par with the other coarse fish for eating 

 purposes, but he is entitled to respect as a greedy fly-taker 

 and a timid member of the brotherhood of fish. " What 

 shall be done with my chub or cheven that I have caught ?" 

 asks Venator. " Marry, sir, it shall be given away to some 

 poor body," replies Piscator. You cannot do wrong by 

 following that example. If it were my fate to catch a basket- 

 ful of chub, bream, or barbel, every day, I know how to 

 dispose of them so as to make the eyes of many little folks 

 glisten at the prospect of an unwonted meal. Hunger, strong 

 condiments, and not too high a standard of taste make 

 them acceptable and palatable. Chub will take a variety 

 of baits. I have known him caught with a live minnow, a 

 dead gudgeon, worms, gentles, pastes, greaves, bullock's 

 pith, fat bacon, and pounded cheese. But for his readiness 

 to take the fly I should almost write the chavender a winter 

 fish. The chub is much disconcerted at the hooking of a 

 comrade ; the shoal will pursue an unfortunate member to 

 your very landing net, and take remarkably good care not to 

 imitate his conduct for some time to come. In the Loddon 

 there are enormous chub, and I know of an instance in that 



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