344 NOTES ON FISH AND FISHING. 



NOTE XIX. 



Small Jrj). 



THE MILLER'S THUMB — THE CKAYFISH. 



With a few remarks on the Bull-head, or Miller's Thumb, 

 and the Crayfish, I shall have completed my memoranda 

 on Small Fry. 



The bull-head, or miller's thumb, like the loach, ruff, 

 minnow, and stickleback, is found in the Thames and other 

 of our English waters. He belongs, like the stickleback, 

 to the great family of the " spinous-finned" fish, and, like 

 the stickleback, to the gurnard group. His sub-family is, 

 according to the naturalists, that of Gottus, and his dis- 

 tinctive title Gottus gobio, which seems to suggest that 

 he is a kind of " gudgeon," which, in reality, he is not, 

 the gudgeon being one of the " soft-finned" tribe and a 

 member of the "carp" family, as I have already pointed 

 out. I believe, however, some naturalists actually hold 

 that he is allied to the gudgeon. 



Gottus gobio is not an easy fish to describe personally. 

 He is from three to four inches in length, of which his 

 head forms no inconsiderable a portion. He is " mottled" 

 something like the minnow, and yet the marking is not 

 unlike the gudgeon, though somewhat darker, or the loach, 

 or the ruff. Indeed, he is a sort of amalgamation of all 



