FISHES 11. Rudd. Leuciscus erythrophthalmus, hinn. It is sometimes said that this is not a Wor- cestershire form ; but if the usual tests sepa- rating this fish from the roach are to be relied upon, namely (i) the position of the dorsal fin, (2) the rigid upper lip, (3) the brighter red about the eye and fins, specimens of this fish have been caught in pools in the county — for instance, from some near Ripple. 12. Dace. Leuciscus dobula, Linn. {L. vul- garis, Day). A common form in streams on the Severn, Teme, less so on the Avon. Common in most of the brooks ; usually found below, or at the foot of, a weir or in a mill-race. 13. Chub. Leuciscus cephalus, Linn. The commonest fish in the county. Found in all the rivers, and gradually pushing its way further and further up the tributaries. 14. Minnow. Leuciscus phoxinus, Linn. Common in particular places in clear streams, but it has a habit of disappearing from places where it was plentiful one year, not a minnow being found there in the next ; a decreasing species. 15. Tench. Tinea vulgaris, Cuv. Found in a number of the pools in differ- ent parts of the county, rarely in the rivers ; but when such is the case, the fish has escaped from some pool. 16. Bream. Abramis brama, Linn. This fish is very common in the Avon, and runs to a fair size ; its range is extend- ing. It is by no means uncommon in the Severn since the river has been deepened and dredged, and has also ascended some of the tributaries ; found in some number in the deep holes in the lower Teme. 17. White Bream, Breamflat. Abramis blicca, Linn. This bream is said to be found in the Avon, and to be becoming more plentiful than formerly. It is a smaller fish than the bream, and hardly ever exceeds a pound, if it reaches that weight. 18. Bleak. Alburnus lucidus. Heck. & Kner. A very common fish in the Severn and in the lower parts of most of the tributaries, but not as a rule found above the first serious obstruction in any of them. 19. Loach. Nemachilus barbatulus, Linn. A common form, but not often seen, as it feeds at night and hides under stones and roots in the day-time. It is sometimes used for bait, but with that exception it is not much sought for. 20. Spinous Loach. Cohitis tania, Linn. A very local form. Although I have never met with it myself, I have seen specimens that I am informed came from the county. MALACOPTERYGII 21. Salmon [Samlet, Smolt, Botcher, Gilling]. Salmo salar, Linn. A fairly numerous fish in the Severn and certain of its tributaries ; the chief in Wor- cestershire being the Teme and the Dowles. In Worcestershire the number of clean run fish taken is very small, probably not aver- aging over 200 a year, all caught by net, but in the autumn and winter very large numbers are seen at the weirs, trying to pass up, and on the spawning beds. The young, before they are ready to migrate to the sea, are locally called 'samlets ' ; when ready to migrate, and having the silver scales, ' smolts ' ; on their first return from the sea, ' botchers ' ; the ' grilse ' of most rivers, on their second return, ' gillings ' ; and after that, ' salmon' ; while a salmon that has spawned, and not since returned to the sea, is called an ' old fish 'or 'a kelt.' In Worcestershire all the salmon that are legally caught are caught with a draft net. 22. Sea Trout [Sewin]. Salmo trutta, Linn. For some reason this form, which is very common in the estuary, does not run up the Severn in any great numbers, and is not often taken with a bait. The mesh of the net that can lawfully be used for taking it is so large (2 inches from knot to knot) that the fish pass through it, so that probably there are more fish in the river than are observed. The marking on the form of this fish found in the Severn differs con- siderably to the marking on the Welsh sewin (S. cambricus). The Severn form rarely ex- ceeds 3 lb., and is generally from ^ to i^ lb. In the winter larger fish ascend and are found spawning in places where salmon cannot reach. In the Severn the sea trout go up the whole length of the river, and up the Teme as far as Powick. 23. Trout [Brown Trout]. Salmo fario, Linn. Without going into the question whether iS. trutta and 5. fario are or are not local forms of the same species, here S. fario is 135
