OF SELBORNE. 75 
description: “The loach, in its general aspect, has 
a pellucid appearance; its back is mottled with 
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irregular collections of small black dots, not reach- 
ing much below the /inea lateralis, as are the back 
and tail fins ; a black line runs from each eye down 
to the nose; its belly is of a silvery white; the 
upper jaw projects beyond the lower, and is sur- 
rounded with six feelers, three on each side; its 
pectoral fins are large, its ventral much smaller ; 
the fin behind is small; its dorsal fin large, contain- 
ing eight spines; its tail, where it joins to the tail fin, 
remarkably broad, without any taperness, so as to 
be characteristic of this genus: the tail fin is broad, 
and square at the end. From the breadth and 
muscular strength of the tail, it appears to be an 
active, nimble fish.” 
The water-eft has not, that I can discern, the 
least appearance of any gills, for want of which it 
is continually rising to the surface of the water to 
take in fresh air. It is continually climbing over 
the brims of the vessel, within which we keep it in 
water, and wandering away; and people every 
