130 ANGLING. 



fishes, a species which so delights the universal 

 childhood, and which, even in after life, so usefully 

 subserves as bait for larger prey. It is the fish by 

 means of which almost all our youthful anglers 

 commence their experience of the gentle art. " He 

 is a sharp biter," says our Father Walton, " at a 

 small worm, and in hot weather makes excellent 

 sport for young anglers, or boys, or women that 

 love that recreation ; and in the spring they make 

 of them excellent minnow-tansies ; for being washed 

 well in salt, and their heads and tails cut off, and 

 their guts taken out, and not washed after, they 

 prove excellent for that use ; that is, being fried 

 with yolks of eggs, the flower of cowslips and of 

 primroses, and a little tansie. Thus used, they 

 make a dainty dish of meat." 



The external aspect of this beautiful little crea- 

 ture is no doubt familiar to all our innumerable 

 readers. It is the smallest species of the genus 

 found in Europe, the greatest length to which it 

 attains seldom exceeding three inches. It makes 

 its appearance in our streams in March, and dis- 

 appears in October, passing the intermediate'months 

 below the sheltering banks, or buried beneath the 

 gravel. It is a very gregarious species, and small 

 shoals are to be found in almost every shallow 

 river, especially in fine clear weather, the species 

 seeming to delight in warmth and sunshine. The 

 minnow usually spawns in the month of June, but 

 its ova are often formed at an after period. It is 

 very prolific, and during the spawning season the 

 head becomes covered by small pale coloured tuber- 



