PREFACE. 



The present Guide to the British Fresh-water Fishes has been 

 written by Mr. C. Tate Began, M.A., who has given much atten- 

 tion to the improvement of the exhibit during the last few years. 

 The small collection to which it furnishes explanatory notes is 

 exhibited at the extreme western end of the Bird Gallery, on the 

 Ground Floor of the western wing of the building. The following 

 pages contain particulars of the fishes exhibited, when these are 

 of interest, and give a brief account of the characteristic features 

 and distribution of each species, with an indication of the size that 

 may be attained by individual specimens. Fuller information will 

 be found in Mr. Eegan's work, "British Fresh- water Fishes."* 

 Most of the specimens are recent acquisitions, but some of them 

 are old ones which have been re-modelled and re-painted. Several 

 of the new specimens have been received as the result of an 

 appeal to anglers for specimen fish, kindly inserted in " The 

 Fishing Gazette" by the Editor, Mr. E. B. Marston. 



The successful and artistic models of the Minnow, Stickleback 

 and Gudgeon are the work of the donor, Mr. F. Page. Nearly all 

 the rest of the exhibited specimens have been prepared by Mr. A. 

 Fieldsend in the Museum. The series of photographs of scales 

 are the work of Mr. J. A. Milne, who presented them. 



In addition to the above, the thanks of the Trustees are due to 

 Messrs. J. Andrews, F. Barker, F. E. Graham, J. A. Hutton, E. 

 Kempsey, W. E. Park, and A. P. Zerfass, for gifts of specimens 

 which have been used in the preparation of the exhibition. 



SIDNEY F. HAEMEE, 



Keeper of Zoology, 

 British Museum (Natuead Histoky), 



Cromwell Road, London, S.W. 



January 29th, 1917. 



* London. Methueu and Co., 1911, price 6s. 



