64 



MINNOW. 



MINNIS. PINK. 



Varius or Phoxinus IcBvis, Jonston. 



Plwxinus, WiLLOUGHBY; PI. 28, 1, p. 268. 



Cyprinns phoxinus, LinnjEus. Donovan; PI. 60. 



" " Jenyns; Manual, p. 415. 



Leuciscus phjximis Cuvier. Bloch; p. 8, f. 5. 



" " Fleming; Bi-itisli Animals, p. 188. 



" . " Yarkell; British Fishes, vol. i, p. 423. 



It ajipears from the writings of Jonston and Rondeletius that 

 some other species has been confounded with our well-known 

 Minnow, and that the Phoxi7ius and Varies of ancient authors 

 are to be regarded as distinct; so that it becomes in some 

 degree uncertain whether the remarks that will be extracted 

 from Aristotle with reference to its habits, are applicable to 

 one or the other; although indeed we suppose they may be 

 more correctly referred to both. The Phoxinus, which is termed 

 Squamosus or the Scaly, may belong to the genus Leuciscus, 

 and has been supposed to be the fish denominated by Linnceus 

 Cyprinus bijnmctatus ; but it is beyond doubt that the Varius 

 of Rondeletius is our Minnow. 



As its name implies, this fish is the smallest of the British 

 s]3ecies of this family. It appears also to be the most exten- 

 sively distributed, and yet it is remarkable that it was not 

 originally a native of the Irish rivers; its introduction into 

 that island not having taken place at a much earlier date than 

 the beginning of the present (nineteenth) century, and it is 

 not, even at this time, to be found in many situations that 

 appear well fitted to its nature. But where it has been con- 

 veyed it multiplies as freely as in England. In Scotland also 



