Page:Natural History, Fishes.djvu/77

Rh colour to them, and whether it presents itself in the blood of one of their former companions, or the hackle of a cock, is a matter of perfect indifference."

There are plenty of very fine Perch all along the Thames, but the most favourite resorts for these fish, are the deeps near Twickenham, either above or below the lock at Teddington, and in some deep holes about halfway between the lock and Hampton Wick; Perch have been taken in these places frequently as large as four pounds' weight each.

Very large Perch and Trout are taken in the rivers of Ireland, by a contrivance known as the pooka. It consists of a flat board, with a little mast and sail erected on it. Its use is to carry out the extremity of a long, stout line, to which are suspended at certain intervals, a great number of droppers, each armed with a baited hook. Corks are affixed to the principal line to keep it floating, and from a weather shore, any quantity of hooks can thus be floated over the water. The corks indicate to the fisher when a fish is on a dropper, and in a small punt he attends to remove the fish and rebait the hooks. Two hundred hooks are sometimes used on one pooka, which affords much amusement and a well-filled pannier.

This beautiful Fish appears to be common in the rivers and lakes throughout Ireland; in Scotland, however, it is rare, and in the waters that dissect, as it were, the northern portion of that kingdom, it is quite unknown. On the continent, it has a much more northern range; for large Perch,