VIII. 



BARBEL, DACE, AND GUDGEON. 



In they went, and hunted about, 

 Open-mouthed like chub or trout, 

 And some with upper lip thrust out, 

 Like that fish for routing the barbel. 



BUCKLAND was fond of quoting these lines, and the 

 subject of them he calls a water-pig, as its habits 

 in the water so much resemble those of a pig on 

 land. But whilst this is so, it must not be taken 

 that the barbel is a foul-feeding fish, as in this 

 respect it is cleaner than many of its congeners. 

 Worms form the chief portion of its diet, and for 

 these it loves to "rout" with its snout against 

 gravelly banks or clumps of protruding earth. 

 Like the silvery roach, the barbel feeds much at 

 night, and may almost be said to be nocturnal in 

 its habits. The fish has its name from six bar- 

 bules that depend from its lower and upper jaws. 

 Just as a cat's sensitive whiskers aid it in its 

 night wanderings, so these barbules doubtless aid 



