VIII. 
BARBEL, DACE, AND GUDGEON. 
In they went, and hunted about, 
Open-mouthed like chub or trout, 
And some with upper lip thrust out, 
Like that fish for routing—the barbel. 
BucKLAND was fond of quoting these lines, and the 
subject of them he calls a water-pig, as its habits 
in the water so much resemble those of a pig on 
land. But whilst this is so, it must not be taken 
that the barbel is a foul-feeding fish, as in this 
respect it is cleaner than many of its congeners. 
Worms form the chief portion of its diet, and for 
these it loves to ‘‘rout” with its snout against 
gravelly banks or clumps of protruding earth. 
Like the silvery roach, the barbel feeds much at 
night, and may almost be said to be nocturnal in 
its habits. The fish has its name from six bar- 
bules that depend from its lower and upper jaws. 
Just as a cat’s sensitive whiskers aid it in its 
night wanderings, so these barbules doubtless aid 
