FISHES 495 



TENCH. 



Tinea vulgaris, Cuv. 



This fish appeared in Dr. Heysham's list of 1796, but with- 

 out remark. A note, possibly penned by the younger Heysham, 

 appeared in the Carlisle Journal of November 3, 1827 : 'Tench 

 (Cyprinus tinea, Linn.). A small fish of this species was 

 caught on Thursday the 25th of October, with a rod and line, 

 in the river Eden, a little below the bridge. It weighed 7 J 

 oz., and had only one cirrhus or beard at one of the corners of 

 the mouth. This fish, although common in many parts in 

 ponds and stagnant waters, is very rarely taken in rivers.' 

 Heysham told Yarrell in 1835 that the Tench was ' occasionally 

 taken in Solway Firth and now and then in river Eden.' The 

 only locality in Westmorland reported to hold Tench is Whin- 

 fell Tarn, near Kendal. Mr. Hutchinson informs me that, 

 about four years ago, a farmer netted a couple of large Tench 

 in the tarn just mentioned : ' they were sent down to Kendal, 

 and weighed a trifle over 7. lbs. between them.' 



BREAM. 



Abramis brama (L.). 



Writing to Yarrell on January 10, 1835, Mr. T. C. Heysham 

 communicated a short note upon this species : ' Common Bream 

 (Abramis brama). I received a specimen of this fish on 

 February 21, 1831 ; another on May 12, 1832, both taken on 

 the coast in the vicinity of Bowness.' I have not been able to 

 obtain any recent specimens, although the Bream is credibly 

 reported to frequent the waters of the river Esk. Yarrell states 

 that ' the lakes of Cumberland produce large quantities of Bream 

 of great size.' 1 Dr. Day copies the statement, volunteering : 

 ' Here it is local in its distribution, being found in the lakes of 

 Cumberland.' 2 I believe this assertion to be a pure romance. 



1 British Fishes, 1836, vol. i. p. 335. 



2 The Fishes of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. ii. p, 196. 



