FISHES these fish as there used to be. It appears that the steam traffic, which causes a wave as the vessels pass along, disturbs the eggs or these fish and in this way injures the fishery. 8. Roach. Leuciscus ruti/us, Linn. Are a very common fish in the Thames, though they do not grow to so great an aver- age weight as in the Kennet. The roach is, as a matter of fact, the piece de resistance of the London mechanic angler who spends his holi- days on the banks of the river. The fish are also found in most of the ponds and private lakes scattered throughout the county. The capture of a roach of over 2 Ib. in the Thames is of rare occurrence. 9. Rudd. Leuciscus erythrophthalmus, Linn. Is by no means a common fish in the county. It used to be fairly plentiful in the Thames, but being easily caught has become almost if not quite exterminated. A case of these fish which were caught in the river may be seen at the George and Dragon at Wargrave. 10. Dace. Leuciscus dobula, Linn. (L. vul- garis t Day). Is a somewhat scarce fish in the portion of the Thames bordering this county, but it is plentiful in the Kennet, where it grows to a remarkable size. Now however that the sewage of Newbury and other towns is diverted from the river, it is doubtful whether the coarse fish of the Kennet will maintain their fine proportions. 11. Chub. Leuciscus cepka/us, Linn. Are found only in rivers and are fairly common in the Thames, Kennet and Loddon, but not in the upper reaches of the two tributaries. In the Thames these fish have largely decreased of late years. There is pro- bably not one now where twenty years ago were five or six. They rarely attain a weight exceeding 5 Ib. 12. Minnow. Leuciscus phoxinus, Linn. This fish is exceedingly plentiful in nearly all the running waters of the county, but its extraordinary decrease in the Thames of late years is one of the mysteries of fishery pre- servation. Immense shoals used to cover the shallows below the weir pools. For instance, at Pangbourne it was possible to take with a little hand net a pint of these fish at a time and use them as white bait ; now they are literally decimated, and the only possible ex- planation seems to be the injury done to their eggs by the wash of the steam traffic. The minnows of the Kennet are much finer than those of the Thames. 13- Tench. Tinea vulgaris, Cuv. Berkshire produces in the Thames, Kennet and Loddon some of the finest tench, both for size and excellence for table purposes. The fish are also present in many of the ponds in the county, but these are not so good for the table. It is a common thing for the angler to catch them weighing from 2 to 3-^ Ib., and some extraordinary takes have been made in the Loddon from time to time. The tench however is not easily captured, and it is only those who understand tench fishing thoroughly who as a rule succeed. The result is that few are captured from the rivers mentioned, though we believe they should be regarded as fairly common fish. 14. Bream. Abramis brama. Linn. Bream are occasionally taken in the upper Thames, where they have been introduced from Norfolk by various fishery associations, but their numbers are hardly sufficient to enable them to hold their own and stock the river to an appreciable extent. They are quite as rare in the Berkshire portions of the river as are carp. 15. Bleak. Alburnus /ucidus, Heck, and Kner. Are extremely common in the Thames and the lower portions of its tributaries. Immense quantities of these fish used to be captured for the sake of utilizing the silvery matter in their scales for making artificial pearls. Other and cheaper methods have been discovered, and the practice is now dis- continued. The bleak is chiefly used as a bait for other fish. 1 6. Loach. Nemachilus barbatulus y Linn. These fish are somewhat widely distributed over the county in the running waters, but they can hardly be called common. Owing to their habit of feeding at night and hiding under stones in the daytime they are not often seen. MALACOPTERYGII 17. Trout (Brown Trout). Salmo fario, Linn. Berkshire is noted for its trout, for while it is not visited by the silvery Salmo trutta it grows in its fresh waters salmonoids of re- markable dimensions. Probably the finest recorded specimen is one which was caught at the mouth of the Kennet almost in the town of Reading. It weighed 17 Ib. and 135
