BARBEL, DACE, AND GUDGEON. 69 



geon may be plentiful enough, they often seem to 

 be locally distributed in a river, and much of the 

 success, of course, depends in finding a shoal. 

 This habit of keeping much together, of being 

 sequacious, has caused the gudgeon to be named, 

 in common with roach, the water-sheep, not by any 

 means on account of supposed stupidity, but from 

 their folio w-my-leader-like movements. In some 

 parts of the country it is a common practice 

 before fishing for gudgeon to rake the gravel at 

 the bottom of the stream or pond. The cloud of 

 mud as it goes down attracts the fish to its starting- 

 point in hope of finding food ; and from the fact of 

 their being able to feed upon such minute 

 organisms they are rarely disappointed. When a 

 shoal is once concentrated, the capture of the 

 individuals is easy. In like spots which the 

 gudgeon loves best to haunt at ordinary times it 

 selects for its spawning-ground among loose 

 stones and pebbles and shallow water conditions. 

 The shedding of the spawn takes place in late 

 April and May, and hatching is soon completed. 

 By the end of August the fry have attained to an 

 inch in length, and are able to shift for themselves. 

 This is one of the easiest fish to keep in confine- 

 ment, as, with ordinary care, it can be retained in 

 health for weeks and even months. Fishmongers 



o 



keep the fish in vessels until they are required, and 



