LOACH. 71 



smootli-clieekecl species; and thereby become liable to the penalty 

 of suffering a laceration of his throat, as the struggling victim 

 may be urging his passage into his stomach. 



This fish sheds its spawn in April and INIay. 



It rarely attains to five inches in length; the head rather 

 depressed, sloping from the eyes, which are small, to the snout; 

 the front moderately rounded. The mouth arched, gape small, 

 jaws weak, upper lip with six barbs, a pair of which are at the 

 corners of the mouth. The body lengthened, round at first, 

 afterwards compressed, slightly deeper at the origin of the dorsal 

 fin, but behind this nearly equal to the tail. Lateral line nearly 

 straight. The surface covered with slime; scales little percep- 

 tible, not in regular order, and none on the head or throat. 

 Origin of the single dorsal fin about half-way between the snout 

 and origin of the caudal fin, with nine or ten rays. This fin 

 is immediately above the ventrals, and ends before the origin 

 of the anal; which last fin is by Mr. Yarrell described as having 

 six rays, and by Nilsson as furnished with nine. The ventrals 

 have nine; pectorals large, round, with thirteen rays; the tail 

 wider than long, straight or round. The colour is prettily 

 varied; — the back more or less a darkish green, with dark 

 brown blotches and stripes; below pale yellowish white. All 

 the fins have a tendency to yellow; dorsal and caudal, and 

 partly the pectoral, with stripes of brown. 



