THE BARBEL 119 



Of this great genus only one species inhabits British waters, 

 namely, Barbus vulgaris, the common barbel, and even that is 

 restricted to the valleys of the Thames, the Trent, and a few 

 streams in the eastern counties. It does not occur in the 

 Severn, nor has it been found in Scotland or Ireland, a 

 distribution which coincides with the ancient geography of our 

 own country, when the Thames and the Trent 



Distribution . .- . i c 



of the united with the Rhine in forming one great north- 

 ar e ' ward-flowing river. The common barbel still 

 abounds in the Rhine, the Danube, and almost all the other 

 rivers of Central Europe, and many European species are 

 scarcely entitled to rank higher than as local variations from 

 the type. 



The body of the barbel is elongated, being in length fully 

 ve times as much as in depth, nearly cylindrical, and, except 

 towards the tail, not laterally compressed, like most of the Carp 

 Family outside the genus Barbus. The head is elongated, with a 

 projecting fleshy upper lip and small eyes set high up and far 

 back. Four barbels depend from the upper lip, two from the 

 fore-part of the snout, and two from the angles of the mouth, 

 and it is from these conspicuous appendages (one can scarcely 

 call them ornaments) that it takes its English name. In all 

 European languages this cyprinoid is " the bearded fish." The 

 dorsal fin is short but high, and is carried jauntily erect, 



Appearance. . , , . . J . ' _ 



the bony ray being serrated on its posterior surface. 

 The caudal fin is deeply emarginate or swallow-tailed, with 

 even-pointed lobes ; the pectoral and ventral fins are bold and 

 well-shaped, and the anal fin is nearly as high as the dorsal, and 

 is set very far back. Altogether this fish is well equipped with 

 organs of propulsion, which enable him to make a grand fight 

 when hooked. The scales are small ; the lateral line is nearly 

 straight, and running about mid-way between back and belly. 

 The back is olive-green, melting into pale golden tints on the 

 flanks ; the cheeks are golden, the head and gill-covers being 

 speckled with black, which sometimes extends to part of the 



