28 The Barbel 



better. For your stinting or foot-line use twisted gut or 

 gimp, leaded so as to rest on the bottom ; and when the 

 fish bites strike directly, and then be careful of your tac- 

 kle, for he will give you some trouble. This fish is plen- 

 tiful in the Swale, from Catterick, down through the 

 deeps, past Topcliffe, till it joins the Ure. The Barbel 

 seldom exceeds seven or eight pounds in weight, and is 

 very tenacious of life, living for four or five hours after 

 he has been taken out of the water. 



SCIENTIFIC DESCRIPTION". 



ORDER IV. Abdominales. Ventral fins on the abdomen, 

 behind the pectoral. 



GENUS CYPRINUS. Cyprinus Barbus. Barbel. 



" Abdominal Malacopterygii. Cyprinidce. 

 " Barbus Vidgaris. FLEM. Brit. An. p. 185. sp. 58. 



CUVIER, Regne An. t. ii. p. 272. 



" Cyprinus Barbus. LINN^US, Block, pt. i. pi. 18. 



Barbel PENN. Brit. Zool vol. iii. p. 472. pi. 82. 

 DON. Brit. Fish, pi. 29. 



" Distinguished from Cyprinus in having the dorsal and anal fins 

 short ; a strong, serrated, bony ray at the dorsal fin ; mouth furnished 

 with four barbules, two near the point of the nose, and one at the 

 angle of the mouth, on each side. 

 " The fin rays in number are 



" D. 11, P. 16, V. 9, A. 7, C. 19, upper half 10." 



YARRELL, Brit. Fish, vol. i. p. 321. 4. 



