FISHES water rat taken from the stomach of a 15 Ib. pike from Rolleston. On the upper Dove the present limit of the range of this fish is Mayfield weir. Above this point none is to be found, although they are common enough below. On the Derwent pike are to be found with other coarse fish as high as the Chatsworth waters. In 1887 a large pike was caught near Staveley which weighed 28 Ib. (Journ. Derb. Arch, and Nat. Hist. Soc. 1892, p. 182), and Mr. O. B. Murphy has one of 26 Ib. taken by himself. Mr. A. S. Hutchinson also in- forms me that about 1898 he received a 30 Ib. fish for preservation from Mr. Ratcliffe of Burton, and that a 26 Ib. pike from the Trent has also passed through his hands. OSTARIOPHYSI 9. Carp. Cyprinus carpio, Linn. This is an introduced species, and only thrives in still or slow flowing waters. It is absent from the Dove and Derwent, but a few are found in the Trent. Mr. Brown says that large ones are occasionally captured in the Trent above Burton, and that one weighing about 8 Ib. was caught at Fradley in 1857. ^ n P or >ds however they attain a much greater size. Glover says that in Osmaston old waters they were taken 14 Ib. in weight, and Brown mentions specimens of 12 Ib. 10. Crucian Carp. Cyprinus carassius, Linn. The goldfish (C. auratus], which may be regarded as a variety of the above species, has been introduced into ponds in various parts of the county. According to Mr. Brown it is found in great numbers in some of the engine ponds at Derby. Mr. Brown (Fauna of Burton-on-Trent) also states that the Prussian carp (C. gibelid) has been naturalized in some ponds. 11. Barbel. Barbus vu/garis, Linn. Barbel are found in the Trent and the lower reaches of the Dove, Derwent and Wye. In the Trent there are many well- known haunts of this fish, whence large numbers are taken annually. More than a hundredweight are said to have been taken by one angler in an afternoon (Nat. Hist, of Tutbury, p. 1 1 5). Mr. G. H. Storer quotes an instance of two anglers taking over a hundredweight in the Dove, and says that takes of 30 Ib. to a single rod are not infre- quent. Barbel attain a considerable size. Sir O. Mosley mentions fish of 10 and even 15 Ib. I 113 in weight. R. Garner mentions one of 1 1 Ib. from the Trent (Nat. Hist, of Stafford, p. 295), and Glover says that they have ' been taken in the Trent and Derwent up- wards of II Ib.' (Hist, of Derby, I. 170). Fish of 6 to 7 Ib. are recorded annually. The range of the barbel in the Dove does not extend above Rocester weir. In the Derwent they are found as high as the Chatsworth water, and Mr. O. B. Murphy has taken them in the Wye near Rowsley ; but they are absent from the upper reaches of these rivers. 12. Gudgeon. Gobio fluviati/is, Flem. Found in the Trent, Derwent, Dove and their tributaries. It must formerly have been plentiful in the Rother, as on May 14, 1790, the Rev. F. Gisborne killed sixteen large gudgeon by a single shot when after pike (Journ. Derb. Arch, and Nat. Hist. Soc. 1892). It seldom exceeds 6 inches in length. One weighing 6 oz. was taken at Matlock in 1901. 13. Roach. Leuciscus rutilus. Linn. The commonest fish in the Trent. Mr. E. Brown says that more than half a ton weight have been taken at a single draw of the net opposite Wetmore, and in 1901 Mr. F. W. K. Wallis took no fewer than 257 roach with rod and line in one day, weighing 150 Ib. Of these forty scaled 45 Ib., and were re- tained. Roach are also common in the lower reaches of the Dove, but are not found above Rocester. They also occur frequently in the Derwent as high as Chatsworth, in many of our canals and in the Rother. 14. Rudd. Leuciscus erythr aphtha Imus, Linn. R. Garner described this fish as frequently found in the Trent in 1860. At the present time it is by no means a common fish, but is probably sometimes confused with the roach and consequently overlooked. 15. Dace. Leuciscus dobula, Linn. Day Leuciscus vulgaris. Found in the Trent commonly and also in the Derwent, but especially numerous in the lower Dove, where it is often taken with the natural fly. A few dace may be found in the Dove just above Rocester weir, but not higher, while below this point they are common. In the Derwent they are found as high as the Chats- worth water. The maximum weight seldom much exceeds I Ib. 15
