486 CHUB CYPR1NE. Class IV. 



an inhabitant of fresh waters, but likewise it 

 seems improbable that the Romans would give 

 themselves any trouble about the worst of river 

 fish, when they neglected the most delicious 

 kinds ; all their attention was directed towards 

 those of the sea: the difficulty of procuring 

 , them seems to have been the criterion of their 

 value, as is ever the case with effete luxury. 



The chub is a very coarse fish, and full of 

 bones : it frequents the deep holes of rivers, 

 and, during summer, commonly lies on the sur- 

 face, beneath the shade of some tree or bush. 

 It is a very timid fish, sinking to the bottom 

 on the least alarm, even at the passing of a 

 shadow, but will soon resume its situation. 

 It feeds on worms, caterpillars, grasshoppers, 

 beetles, and other coleopterous insects that 

 happen to fall into the water ; and it will even 

 feed on cray-fish. It will rise to a fly. 



This fish takes its name from its head, not 

 only in our own, but in other languages : we 

 call it Chub, according to Skinner, from the 

 English, Cop, a head; the French, Testard ; 

 the Italians, Capitone. 

 Descrip- It does not grow to a large size ; we have 

 known some that weighed above five pounds, 

 but Salvianas speaks of others that were eight 

 or nine pounds in weight. 



TION. 



