Background:

Published in 1879, British Fresh Water Fishes contains illustrations and descriptions of over 40 fishes native to the waters of the British Isles.  The text was authored by the Rev. W. Houghton, naturalist and rector of Preston-on-the Weald Moors in Shrpshire (England).  The illustrations were drawn by A. F. Lydon.  Unlike many earlier natural history illustrators, Lydon depicted each fish in a setting meant to represent its habitat.  The prints were so successful that the book won a gold medal at the London Fisheries' Exhibition in the late 1800s.