BARBEL AND GUDGEON 



the eggs are covered over by the parent fish. The 

 Barbel is a tenacious species, and affords good sport to 

 the angler, but its habits must be well known to lure it 

 successfully. Care should be taken in eating this fish 

 as, if it contains roe, this should be removed to guard 

 against poison contained therein. 



VigA-^ 



Gudgeon.- -Gobio fliiviatilis (Fig. 44). This happy- 

 go-lucky little fish is indelibly linked up with one's 

 boyhood days, when either big fish or little were con- 

 sidered " great game." It is a most sociable species, 

 and loves to congregate on gravel or mud where the water 

 is fast-flowing. It keeps very low in the water, but is so 

 fastidious in its taste that it will allow most tempting 

 baits to pass right over the shoal without effect. If, 

 however, the fish are on the feed, a large number may be 

 caught in a very short time. A small red worm, or the 

 larva of a caddis fly, are the best baits to use. It may 

 be looked upon as a small edition of the Barbel, but it is 

 relegated to another genus because of the arrangement 

 of the teeth. It has one barbel only on each side of the 



mouth. The general colour is brownish or greenish on 



83 



