A wonderful engraving showing the Burbot (eel pout) and Wels (catfish) - fresh water representatives of the cod family - the sole member of its genus, common (1894) in the rivers of Central and Northern Europe and North America. 'In length the burbot exceeds a yard, and its flesh ranks high among fresh-water fish. In Britain found only in the east of England, where it is not uncommon in the Cam and the Ouse. It prefers deep to shallow water, being found in large lakes at a depth of 30/40 fathoms. From its habit of lying concealed beneath stones or in holes on the river bank, the burbot in some parts of England is known as the coney-fish.' The burbot is the only fish known to have become extinct in Great Britain in recent centuries - there has been no authenticated record of the species in the UK for over 50 years.