Page:British Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fresh-water Fishes.djvu/117

BLEAK AND LOACH habits and pretty appearance. It is of social disposition, and a lover of clear water. It keeps close to the surface, and its sporting proclivities cannot fail to arrest attention. It does not occur in either Ireland or Scotland, but in other parts of Britain it is more or less a fairly familiar species. It has a silvery- white dress, ornamented with greenish on the back. It rarely exceeds 6 to 8 inches in length.

At spawning time the Bleak comes close inshore in large numbers, and as with many other fishes, it shows great excitement at such time. June sees the egg-depositing at its height, and the eggs are cast promiscuously into shallow water where they become attached to weeds, or stones. The curious name is indicative of the silvery-white or bleached colour. Many different hybrids have been described, and from the brilliant scales various commercial articles are manufactured.

Stone Loach.—Nemachilus harhatula (Fig. 54). This little tenant of fast-running streams where there is a plentiful supply of stones, is linked up in one's memory with boyhood days, and I remember the exciting adventures we had during those happy hours when 99