FISHES TELEOSTEANS ACANTHOPTERYGII 1. Perch. PercaJlumatUis, Linn. This is the most beautiful of our river fishes and is fairly abundant in all our streams where there are deepish pools below rapid streams. The Rev. T. W. W. Trumper caught one at Clifford weighing 3 lb., but the old fishermen and fishmongers rarely find them exceed 2 lb. in the Wye or Lugg. They are destruc- tive to all fish smaller than themselves, and I have watched them for two days and more gorging a min- now like a snake if too long to swallow whole. In ponds where they breed they are too numerous to grow large, but Houghton says if males only can be selected for ponds they soon grow to I lb. Mr. Lee has taken one at Holme Lacy weighing 3^ lb. They are neither large nor numerous in the Lugg or Teme, but in the Monnow, in places, shoals of small size occur. 2. RufFor Pope. Acerina cetitua, Linn. This variety of coarse fish is very little known in Herefordshire streams ; its habitat, like that of the gudgeon, is slack water or large stones at the foot of shallows. 3. River Bullhead or Miller's Thumb. Cottus gobio, Linn. Not numerous in the Wye, but very plentiful in the Monnow, where gravel is large and rough stones pre- vail ; they occur also in all the other streams, and are a capital bait for trout in trolling. The variety with nine spines mentioned by Yarrell, 'Father-lasher,' IS not found in Herefordshire rivers. HEMIBRANCHII 4. Three-spined Stickleback. Linn. Gaslrosteus acuhatus, This species seems to be well known in the streams of the Wye and tributaries, where floods leave pools, and in backwaters, as at Holme Lacy Vicarage, where they breed abundantly. HAPLOMI 5. Pike. Esox lucius, Linn. Very numerous and destructive to salmonidae in the Wye and Lugg, and the Board of Conservators en- courage their capture by cleeching nets ; the largest specimens rarely exceed 20 lb. Mr. Jones of Edgar Street, Hereford, during August and November 1905 caught eighty-seven pike weighing 4261b. These fish spawn in April with an extraordinary quantity of ova, and, as the late Mr. Frank Buckland used to say, the fry are rare food for lastspring and other small fish. An old bend in the Wye at Letton, with quite stagnant water for several months in the year, belonging to Mr. H. Dew, and Talgarth Lake above Hay, overflowing to the Wye, are the two great nurseries of these river sharks. The curious back set of their dorsal and ventral fins affords them immense power in rapid seizure of their prey and finer fish. Three or four lastspring are often found in the pouch of these destructive fish enemies. The Rev. W. Lee of Holme Lacy, a great angler and naturalist, gives me the following re- markable story as to pike : — After fourteen years of observation, living close to the banks of the Wye, he observes after every flood that otters are numerous and their chief food then are pike. He frequently finds after every flood the heads of large pike, at least six or seven in miles of river, and sometimes heads of chub, but never the heads of salmon or trout. No doubt pike in flood time hug the sides of the river and avoid the deep strong waters, and hence are more readily taken by the otter and the cleeching net. They are frequently taken by rod and net over 20 lb., and one was taken by Mr. Jones in the Dingle Pool, at Belmont just above Hereford, in March 1906 weighing 21 lb, ; the more common weights are from 12 lb. to 141b. There is a record of one taken in the Teme at Wooferton, Easton Court, weighing 86 lb. In the Wye specimens weighing between 20 and 30 lb. are occasionally captured. OSTARIOPHYSI 6. Carp. Cyprinus carpio, Linn. Taken in lakes and ponds, and very rarely in rivers. There are some very large ones in the lake at Holme Lacy, and one of 4 lb. was taken in the V^y^, below Holme Lacy, by Stephens' nets some years ago. 7. Gudgeon. Gohiofluviatllis, Flem. Numerous in all our streams and especially so in the Wye, but they never seem to attain the size or numbers they do in the Thames or Isis at Duxford ; they are good in trolling for pike ; excellent as they are they are never likely to be taken in nets, under the Wye Board restrictions, and so remain food for other fish. 8. Rudd or Red Eye. Leuchcus erythrophthalmus, Linn. Occur in the Wye among roach and other coarse fish at breeding time in May, but not numerously ; their bright red eyes and fins readily distinguish them. 9. Roach. Leuciscm ruttlus, Linn. Abundant in all our streams where followed by slack water. In the moat at Castle Green, Hereford, rhey are very numerous and cannot grow to any size ; the moat is fed by the Yazor Brook, and swans feed upon them, but no pike can worry them, and they dwell amicably with perch ; both varieties breed there, and large shoals breed in the Wye on Rotherwas Water in May. 10. Chub. Leuciscus cephalm, Linn. This coarse fish is far too numerous ; many are taken in the Wye, Lugg, and Monnow of 3 lb. weight, but the average weight is i lb. The little black gnat is their favourite fly. 1 1 . Bream. Jbramis brama, Linn. Only occasional specimens are found in our rapid rivers. Mr. Willis-Bund mentions one {Country Life of 3 1 March, 1 906) taken in the Teme below Powick 123
