THE BARBEL. 93 



(Cyprinus auratus,) originally brought from 

 China. It is commonly kept in vases for orna- 

 ment, and also in ponds and tanks in pleasure- 

 grounds, where, if thoroughly sheltered from 

 the cold, it breeds freely. We have known 

 engine-ponds, into which warm water from the 

 steam-engine flows, keeping up a milk- warm 

 temperature, thronged with these beautiful 

 fishes. At the Cape of Good Hope, and in the 

 Mauritius, this fish is completely naturalized. 

 The young of this species are at first black, or 

 very dusky, and only acquire their golden tint 

 by degrees. Small tanks of wood in hot- 

 houses, or conservatories for aquatic plants, 

 may be often seen thronged with these fish, 

 where they freely breed. They are easily ren- 

 dered familiar. 



In many of our rivers, and especially in the 

 Thames, a fish termed the barbel (Barbus vul- 

 garis) is very common. It is said to derive 

 this name from its four barbs, or barbules, on 

 the upper lip. This fish is of handsome form, 

 and grows to a considerable size, occasionally 

 weighing from ten to fifteen pounds. 



The barbel is gregarious in its habits, and is 

 swift and vigorous. During the summer, these 

 fish frequent the shallower parts of the river, 

 and the female, in May or June, deposits her 



