116 THE FRESH- WATER FISHES OF EUROPE. 



ill the lower lobe. The caudal fin is deeply emarginate, evenly lobed, and 

 pointed at the extremities. 



The scales cover the entire body except the pectoral region : they are 

 numerous and small ; they commonly increase in size from the fore part 

 of the back towards the tail; the largest is scarcely as long as the eye. 

 There may be from sixty to seventy in a line between the ear and the base 

 of the caudal fin, according to Blanchard, though the number commonly 

 counted in the lateral line is from fifty-five to sixty-two. There are from 

 eleven to twelve rows of scales above the lateral line, fourteen to fifteen rows 

 below it, though Blanchard counts thirty rows in the height of the body. The 

 scales are longer than deep, lancet-shaped at their free margin. They are 

 marked with radiating lines. 



The lateral line is nearly straight, and in the middle of the body. The 

 cephalic canals are not very distinct, except the branch in the sub-orbital ring, 

 which forms many long depressions. The branch to the lower jaw has large 

 pores. The pseudo-branchiae are free, rather large, and pectinate ; the gill- 

 rakers of the first gill-arch are spatulate and curved inward. 



The colour of the back is olive-green, gradating into a paler tint on the 

 flanks, which becomes greenish-white towards the belly. The throat and belly 

 are pearly white. The cheeks glisten with golden tints, but the sides of the 

 head and operculum are speckled with fine black spots, and the speckling is 

 sometimes continued down the sides of the body. The dorsal fin is bluish; the 

 tail has a similar tint, often with a bluish border ; the other fins are red, the 

 iris is brown. 



The size of the Barbel varies with the locality. The fish is often two feet 

 long, and weighs eight to ten pounds in the Danube, where, however, specimens 

 have been caught weighing eighteen pounds. And Heckel and Kner mention 

 an example taken in the Salzach in 1853 that weighed twenty-five and a half 

 pounds. But Blanchard refers to individuals from the Volga that weighed 

 from forty to fifty pounds. 



The growth of the Barbel is rapid. The fish is tenacious of life, and lives 

 for fifteen or twenty years. It is found throughout Europe in all rivulets, rivers, 

 and lakes, both in low-lying districts and among mountains. It feeds on 

 worms, small fishes, insects, mollusca, mud, and especially upon the excreta of 

 animals ; and the great length of the intestine may be taken to indicate that 

 vegetable substances largely contribute to its sustenance. Barbels when 

 young are reputed to live in association with Gudgeon, but as they grow larger 

 leave their early associates, and become solitary. 



The Barbel first spawns in its fourth year, in May or the beginning of June, 

 and the fish then becomes banded, and often acquires a reddish or orange 



