THE DACE. 305 



difference between the two fish, and one to be easily re- 

 cognized when you have them side by side, is that the 

 dace has smaller scales than the chub. 



The ichthyological name of the dace is Leuciscus vulgaris 

 — i. e. the " common white fish." But whence " dace " ? 

 I am sorry I cannot answer my own question. All I can 

 say is that the word can be traced in different languages, 

 da being the characteristic letters, just as I pointed out 

 that br were in the word " bream •" for I find that our 

 dace is called daas in Dutch, dard in French, and, as my 

 Welsh cook informs me, darden in Wales. The dace, too, 

 was often called dare in this country, and I believe is still 

 so called in some districts at the present day. He has 

 also been called the "dart," probably from his quick 

 " darting " movements, though the da in " dart " seems 

 the da of the list of names just given. Drayton seems to 

 have their " darting " in his mind when he thus says of 

 the dace, — 



" Oft swiftly as he swims, his silver belly shows ; 

 But with such nimble flight, that ere ye can disclose 

 His shape, out of your sight like lightning he is shot." 



If we take the explanation of " dart " as a name given 

 to the dace, it is somewhat after the analogy of the gray- 

 ling being called the umber from " umbra," because of 

 its flitting like a " shadow." 



But whatever may have been the origin of the name, 

 whether suggestive or not of the personal appearance of 

 the fish, I take it that the dace is one of the prettiest 

 denizens of our streams. It is very symmetrical; its well- 

 turned head with pointed muzzle, its slightly arched back 

 and semi-swallow-like tail, giving its cylindrical body a 



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