76 NATURAL HISTORY OF SELBORNE 



which he brought, safe and brisk, in a glass decanter. The} 

 were taken in the gullies that were cut for watering the 

 meadows. From these fishes (which measured from twc 

 to four inches in length) I took the following description 

 "The loach, 1 in its general aspect, has a pellucid appear 

 ance : its back is mottled with irregular collections of smal 

 black dots, not reaching much below the linea lateralis, a; 

 are the back and tail fins ; a black line runs from each ey( 

 down to the nose ; its belly is of a silvery white ; the uppei 

 jaw projects beyond the lower, and is surrounded with sb 

 feelers, three on each side ; it's pectoral fins are large, it's 

 ventral much smaller ; the fin behind it's anus small ; it's 

 dorsal-fin large, containing eight spines ; it's tail, where i 

 joins to the tail-fin, remarkably broad, without any taperness 

 so as to be characteristic of this genus ; the tail-fin is broad 

 and square at the end. From the breadth and musculai 

 strength of the tail it appears to be an active nimble fish." 

 In my visit I was not very far from Hungerford, and die 

 not forget to make some inquiries concerning the wonderfu 

 method of curing cancers by means of toads. Several in 

 telligent persons, both gentry and clergy, do, I find, give '< 

 great deal of credit to what was asserted in the papers : anc 

 I myself dined with a clergyman who seemed to be per 

 suaded that what is related is matter of fact ; but, when 

 came to attend to his account, I thought I discerned cir 

 cumstances which did not a little invalidate the woman': 

 story of the manner in which she came by her skill. Sh< 

 says of herself " that, labouring under a virulent cancer, sh< 

 went to some church where there was a vast crowd : on goin^ 

 into a pew, she was accosted by a strange clergyman ; who 

 after expressing compassion for her situation, told her tha 

 if she would make such an application of living toads as ii 

 mentioned she would be well." Now is it likely that thi: 

 unknown gentleman should express so much tenderness foi 

 this single sufferer, and not feel any for the many thousand; 

 that daily languish under this terrible disorder ? Would h< 

 not have made use of this invaluable nostrum for his owr 



1 Ntmachilus barbatulus, L. [G. A. B.] 



