322 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS [voL. 48 
The barbel genus (Barbus) is represented by at least three species 
in Palestine and one of them (Barbus longiceps) is quite closely 
related to the common barbel of Europe, but has the head, and 
especially the snout, more elongate, as the name (longiceps or long- 
Fic. 78.—Barbus longiceps. After Tristram. 
headed) indicates. This species is peculiar to the Lake of Galilee 
and the river Jordan and, according to Tristram (1884), “is one 
of the most abundant of the many abundant species in the Lake.” 
It is noteworthy, too, that it is also “one of the best kinds for 
the table.” 
A peculiar genus (Capoeta), related to the barbels, is distin- 
guished by the transverse inferior mouth and by the branches of the 
Fic. 79.—Capoeta fratercula. After Heckel. 
lower bent inwards in front and with the anterior edge invested in 
a subcorneous sheath. It is richly represented by species from near 
the confines of Europe to Central Asia, and no less than seven 
species occur in Palestine. In that holy land one of the species 
(Capoeta fratercula) has become the recipient of exceptional atten- 
a 
