PLATE CXIIL 
The Tench is esteemed a silly fish, and one that may be taken 
■without difficulty. It is found in most lakes and rivers, bnt seem* to 
prefer tranquil waters in retired situations. 
As an article of food, the Tench is not uniformly approved ; for 
although in England it has many admirers, it is considered as- an 
insipid and worthless fish, if not unwholesome, in some other coun- 
tries. M. de Bergen believes the Tench sleeps during the winter, 
and is revived again in spring by the genial warmth of the sun. In 
the month of June they seek the herbage in the shallow parts of the 
water to deposit their eggs. 
The general colour is olive or olivaceous brown, variable in dif- 
ferent fishes according to the season of the year. When in high 
perfection the back is olive, the head and sides green glossed with 
yellow, and the whole partaking of a fine gilded hue, as the center 
of every scale is of a golden colour. The fins greenish, dusky, and 
reddish at the base; the eyes fine red. The Tench is particularly dis- 
tinguished from the minuteness of its scales. The dorsal fin contains 
ten rays : pectoral fin twelve rays : ventral fin, nine rays.; anal fin 
fight rays : and the tail twenty -four. 
