Common Bream.
This easily distinguished
fish is more at home in the larger pond, where
it will grow to seven or eight pounds in weight
in a few years. The body is deep, with quite
a hump on the back, the head small ; the
colour is drab in the extreme, dun olive with
a silvery belly. A splendid fish with which
to stock a lake for angling purposes.
Pomeranian Bream. This hybrid of the Bream
and the Roach is rather a handsome fish,
it has the size and build of the bream, perhaps
a thought more slender, and the colouring
of the roach.
Silver Bream.
Like the other bream, the
Silver Bream is more suited to the large stretch
of ornamental water and provides splendid
sport for the angler. They swim in shoals
near the bottom and are exceedingly voracious.
The fish itself is silver coloured with a suspicion
of blue on the upper parts.
Green Tench.
The tench is one of the most
valuable fishes for the pond on account of its
scavenging habits. From living in the silt
and mud at the bottom and from its slimy
skin, tench, in the pond, are not exactly
beautiful ; but this does not matter, for they
are seen rarely-preferring to ' do good by
stealth and blush to find it fame.' In the
garden ponds, fish and fountains
aquarium, however, they are very attractive.
The scales are very small and the colour is
uniformly green with a slight olive tint-
like ancient bronze. In some specimens the
fins have a slight reddish tinge. The base of the
caudal fin is thicker than is usual in the carp
family.
Country people call it the ' Doctor Fish,'
and it is assumed that the slime from the skin
has curative qualities. The fact is, the tench,
from its habit of eating almost anything, keeps
the water clean and so lessens the risk of sickness. Tench can be purchased for ninepence
or a shilling each according to the size.
Golden Tench, or Gold Schlei.
The Golden
Tench nearly rivals the Hi Goi for magnificence of colouring-as the name suggests, it
is a rich gold which the small scales set off to
advantage. Some specimens have reddish-
brown markings. As this fish delights in
swimming at times, in shoals usually, near
the surface, it is an adornment to the pond ;
also it has the same scavenging tendencies
as the ' green ' species. They are priced at
from two to three shillings each.
Gudgeon.
This is a delightful fish for either
pond or aquarium and is well worth keeping.
It does a certain amount of scavenging and,
as it rarely exceeds seven inches in length,
will not outgrow the aquarium. The colour
is a pastel blue on the underside and olive-
green on the back with black spots, and over all
is a silvery sheen. They are of a long, slender
shape and possess a pair of barbels. Their
cost is up to six shillings a dozen.
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