A HISTORY OF DERBYSHIRE TELEOSTEANS ACANTHOPTERYGII I. Perch. Perca fluv iati/is, Linn. Plentiful in the Trent. It is also found commonly in the river Dove as high as Rocester. A few are occasionally met with for a mile or two above that point, but from the upper waters of the Dove it is altogether absent. In the Derwent perch are found as high as the Chatsworth waters, but not further up the river. They thrive when introduced into mill dams and ponds, and are not un- common in our canals. The maximum weight attained in our waters appears to be 4^ Ib. Glover (Hist, of the County of Derby, i. 1 68) says : 'They have been caught in the Derwent 4^ Ib. weight ' ; and in Mr. J. R. B. Masefield's < Sketch of our Local Freshwater Fish ' it is stated, on the authority of Mr. John Ward, that a perch 4^ Ib. in weight was taken in the Trent. Individuals from a to 3 Ib. have been several times recorded. 2. Ruffe or Pope. Acer'ma cernua, Linn. This little fish is found in suitable spots in the Trent, Dove, Derwent and smaller streams. It is absent from the Dove above Rocester and the upper reaches of the Der- went. Mr. Edwin Brown (Fauna of Burton, p. 114) describes it as abounding in the canals and other waters in the Burton dis- trict, especially in dark recesses near locks and weirs. It seldom exceeds 3 or 4 oz. in weight and 5 or 6 inches in length. 3. Miller's Thumb or Bullhead. Coitus gobio, Linn. Common in almost all our rivers and streams, where it may be found lurking un- der stones or ensconced in a bed of water weed. ANACANTHINI 4. Burbot or Eel-pout. Lota vulgaris, Cuv. This remarkable fish is rather scarce and local, but has long been known to inhabit the Trent. Glover in 1829 writes : 'These fish are to be caught in the Trent and Der- went and in the back cuttings, Sinfen moor.' Mr. E. Brown (Fauna of Burton) says it is frequently taken in the Trent, sometimes weighing as much as 4 Ib. Mr. G. M. Bond informs me that he once saw a small burbot (about ^ Ib.) taken in a fish trap on the Dove at Hanging Bridge, but this is the only instance which has come to my know- ledge. 5. Flounder. Pleuronectes fesus, Linn. Flounders ascend the Trent for a con- siderable distance, and have been taken in large numbers at Clifton, but do not attain a large size. HEMIBRANCHII 6. Three-spined Stickleback. Gastrosteus acu- leatus, Linn. Locally, Jacksharp. Found in our principal rivers in compara- tively small numbers, but in the small tribu- tary streams and wet ditches it is exceedingly numerous. Mr. E. Brown says that the half armed form (G. semiarmatus, Cuv.) is plentiful in the Burton district (Fauna of Burton, p. 114), and according to Mr. G. H. Storer the typical form both at Burton and Marston- on-Dove is the quarter-armed stickleback of Parnell (G. gymnurus, Cuv.). 7. Ten-spined Stickleback. Gastrosteus pungi- tius, Linn. Locally, Tinker. This is not nearly so plentiful as the pre- ceding species, and has up to the present only been recorded from the south of the county. The earliest record of its presence which I can find is a reference in Sir O. Mosley's address to the Burton Natural History Society in 1 842, where he describes it as found in a small brook near the railway station at Bur- ton. Mr. Storer has taken specimens near Burton, where it occurs in the ratio of about one to fifty of the three-spined species. He describes it as much more common at Mar- ston-on-Dove, and also tolerably numerous in the Soar and its tributaries. HAPLOMI 8. Pike or Jack. Esox lucius, Linn. In the Trent pike are found in considerable numbers and attain a large size. If Glover's record can be trusted, ' they have been taken in the Derwent and Trent 36 Ib.' previously to 1829. Mr. Edwin Brown says that few seasons pass in which several pike of 20 Ib. weight and upwards are not taken in the Trent near Burton, and that in 1845 a P'ke was taken in the Trent near Twyford which weighed 36 Ib. (Nat. Hist, of Tutbury, p. 229). At the present time 20 Ib. fish are occasion- ally taken, but the majority do not exceed 10 Ib. or so. In the lower Dove pike attain a good size. Sir O. Mosley tells the story of a bull which was attacked by a pike while drinking near Tutbury ! He also notes a 112
