78 THE PRACTICAL FISHERMAN. 



immobility of the barbel in swift streams in a very peculiar way. 

 *'With his beard or wattles," he Bays, "he is able to take such a 

 hold of weeds and moss that the sharpest floods cannot move him 

 from his position." Of course this statement is unreliable. 



This venerated author further goes on to say, "He seems to have 

 the power of rooting in the mud and, pig-like, wallowing in the mire 

 and weeds at the bottom of deep holes and under overhanging banks." 

 It should be added that this latter assertion applies truly to lakes 

 and deep streams only. 



The food of this fish is exceedingly various, like that of the carp. 

 Flies, bees, beetles, maggots, worms, slugs, snails, and all similar 

 baits, as well as occasionally live fry, gentles, leeches, meat cooked 

 ^,nd raw, hard-boiled eggs, and cheese may be included in the list. 

 The cad bait in early summer is, however, the best beloved of all the 

 ^dainties. 



Besides these and the entomastraca and Crustacea of the water, it 

 also it does not object to a spring salad of Conferva rivualis the green 

 weed growing on weirs and stones in swift-running streams, and is 

 said to be especially eager after the Thames lampern when it visits 

 the river in autumn. The size to which the barbel attains is probably 

 in no case beyond 181b. in English waters. In the warmer parts of the 

 Continent they grow, however, much larger, and Cuvier says they 

 sometimes in favourable localities grow to 10ft. long. In the Volga 

 they are said to occasionally scale 401b. or 501b. The barbel, like 

 the carp, is affirmed to utter a croak when being drawn up 

 from the water. The sound, however, emitted is not a genuine 

 guttural sound, but, like the gasp of the slime-ladened branchia of the 

 eel, is a simulated choking sound, which might easily deceive an 

 unobservant angler. A similar vocal performance is reported of some 

 Welsh trout from the Carraclwddy pools. These are reported to be 

 suffering from a bewitchment. The sound, however, has been accounted 

 for by a writer in the late Fisherman's Magazine by the supposition 

 that the "croak" emitted is but an unsuccessful attempt on the part 

 of the trout to speak Welsh. 



Of all other fresh-water fishes barbel seem the most subject to internal 

 parasites. Dr. Cobbold, as before mentioned, in his " Synopsis of 

 the Distomidae," says that no less than 126 of the "fluke" species 

 of entozoa are to be found in fish out of 344 distinct classes, 

 and that they are particularly abundant in barbel, bream, and eels. 

 This fact is accounted for by these fish inhabiting deep, still water 

 for the most part, being slow, comparatively, in their habits, and 

 feeding principally on earth or gravel insects. The thorn- headed worms 



