Fishes. 4897 



The Loach or Beardie (Cobitis barbatula) in Confinement. — This little fish appears 

 to be entirely destitute of the power of swimming as practised by the majority of fishes : 

 it remains motionless at the bottom of the vessel during the greater part of the day, 

 but towards evening, and also in showery weather, it frequently comes to the surface 

 by a violent wriggling movement of its eel -like body ; having reached the surface it is 

 totally unable to remain there, either by a continuance of the exertion or by that easy 

 floating which many fishes practise so gracefully: the moment the exertion ceases the 

 fish falls heavily and languidly to the bottom, dropping from rock to rock, or from plant 

 to plant, until it finds a resting-place, where, whether it is a stone or plant, it will re- 

 main perched, as it were, for hours : I have seen them rest apparently balanced cross- 

 wise on the edge of a vertically-placed stone : aquatic progress seems the result of 

 powerful exertion of the vertebras. It is excessively voracious, and will consume an 

 incredible number of small worms, that is of worms 1^ inch to 2 inches long; as soon 

 as it seizes one it immediately stirs up the sediment at the bottom of the vessel, 

 making the water so cloudy that the fish instantly becomes invisible. The operculum 

 of the nostril stands up like a minute horn on each side of the face. I have never 

 noticed any indication of familiarity in this fish : it is unconquerably shy, and although 

 its voracity will not allow it to deny itself the gratification of devouring a worm in my 

 presence, yet this is always accomplished in nubibus, as above noticed. I keep them 

 in shallow milk-pans or glass globes with a few weeds, and never change the water, 

 unless to cleanse the glass of Confervas : I have found it die in a zinc tank. In a state 

 of nature it lurks in long floating grass quite as commonly as under stones.— Edward 

 Neivman. 



The Gudgeon (Gobio fluviatilis) in Confinement. — This fish, like the beardie, 

 appears to be greatly addicted to reposing motionless on its belly: in this position it 

 will remain for hours ; but if the forehead be brought against the glass it darts round 

 and round the vessel with inconceivable velocity : it has no disposition to float in 

 swimming, but its movements, when rising to the surface, are not so laboured as those 

 of the beardie, neither is its descent so languid and helpless. I have had one in a zinc 

 tank with unchanged water for eight months, during which time it has greatly increased 

 in bulk, consuming quantities of worms. The most interesting act I have observed in 

 this fish is that of gliding on its belly, like a slug, up and down the perpendicular sides 

 of a leaden cistern, without the slightest perceptible motion of fins or vertebral column. 

 This fish thrives in a cistern into which water is daily admitted, and from which it is 

 as constantly withdrawn, maintaining itself in good condition without other food than 

 that contained in the water, which is much improved in purity and brilliancy by its 

 presence. — Id. 



Food of Fishes. — The preceding observation on the gudgeons thriving on the im- 

 purities of London water leads me to Dr. Knox's observations on the minute food of 

 the vendace, &c. I am not only willing thoroughly to adopt the opinions expressed 

 by Dr. Knox in his paper in the June number (Zool. 4709), but I had always sup- 

 posed it a received fact that the principal food of very many fishes was the minute 

 animal life contained in water, and invisible to our unassisted eyes. — Id. 



Transparent Fishes. — At the recent meeting of the British Association for the 

 Advancement of Science, Professor Kolliker, of Wurzberg, exhibited a series of 

 transparent fishes from the coasts of Messina. The only known fish that can be at all 

 compared with these, in the character of transparency, is the lancelet, Amphioxus 

 lanceolatus of Yarrell, who gives an excellent figure and description at p. 618 of the 



