126 ANGLING 



THE BARBEL 



is a well-made, handsome, and powerful fish, very active 

 and vigorous, quite the sort of fellow to try the strength 

 of the angler's tackle and the dexterity of his hand. 

 He is very fond of rapid waters, which run over stony 

 bottoms, and will lie for a long time in a boiling current 

 under shelving banks, near old stone walls and piles, 

 or about sunken trees or old timber. In these places 

 the larger fish are generally to be found, and as the 

 barbel dreads alike the fiery heats or extreme cold, he 

 commonly lies near the bottom, and haunts the deepest 

 parts of the stream. 



The barbel is gregarious, and is to be found in many 

 of the rivers in England ; but the Trent and the Thames 

 are perhaps better supplied with this fish than any other 

 British streams. 



Stories have been told of the barbel having attained 

 a weight of fifteen or twenty pounds; but these are 

 instances of very rare occurrence, as he seldom exceeds 

 eight or ten pounds, and even this is deemed a very 

 large size and by no means usual. These fish spawn 

 early in June. Walton says in April ; but perhaps they 

 vary according to seasons and situations. Some authors 

 suppose he never casts spawn until his fifth or sixth year. 



The barbel is a long-lived fish. His flesh is white 

 and delicate in appearance ; and when cooked according 

 to the recipe for stewing tench and carp, he is not alto- 

 gether the most despicable of fish, and might perhaps be 

 eaten by a very hungry man. 



The fish will live four or five hours after he has 

 been taken out of the water. The barbel is supposed 

 to possess the peculiar power of causing the water to 

 bubble up on the surface above his head when he 

 makes his respirations. The eel is also believed to 

 exhibit the same faculty ; but as these air bubbles may 

 be accounted for in a more satisfactory manner, we may 

 be allowed to call in question the truth of these notions 

 altogether. 



The barbel takes its name from the beard or wattles 



