108 



FISH GALLERY. 



the body than the Roach, and the pelvic fins are farther forward 

 relatively to the front point of the base of the dorsal fin. The 

 eye also is redder. The Chub is readily distinguished by its thick, 

 plump body and its heavy head. It rarely exceeds 5 lbs. and a 

 length of 20 inches, although larger specimens are on record. The 

 Dace is generally recognised by anglers by the absence of red 

 colour in ihe pelvic and anal fins, and by the pure silvery colour 

 of the sides of the body. The maximum weight is about 1 lb. 

 The Minnow seldom exceeds 3 inches, although in favourable 

 localities it may attain twice that length. The long, thick body 

 and the brown and green colouring distinguish it from the young 

 of any of the above species of Leuciscus. 

 Orfe. The Ide or Nerfling, Leuciscus idus, is a European species 



which in Germany is domesticated and assumes more or less the 

 golden hue of the Gold-fish. Such forms are known as Golden 

 Orfe, 344. 

 Azurine. The fish known as the Azurine, 337, is a bluish variety of the 

 Rudd ; it occurs in the middle of continental Europe, and at 

 one time was found in some parts of England, for instance, at 

 Knowsley in Lancashire. 

 .Tench. The Tench, Tinea vulgaris, 345, is found all over Europe in 



stagnant waters with a muddy or clayey bottom. The scales of 

 the fish are small and deeply embedded in the skin, which is thick 

 and slimy. A short barbel occurs at the angle of the mouth on 

 each side ; the pharyngeal teeth, 347, are wedge-shaped, slightly 

 hooked at the end, and arranged in a single series. The Tench is 

 an animal of leisurely movement and sluggish disposition, except 

 during the breeding-season, and passes the winter in a state of 

 torpidity. In England the Tench seldom exceeds 4 lbs. in weight. 

 In a state of domestication the Tench may be made to acquire a 

 golden colour similar to that of the Gold-fish and the Golden 

 Orfe. Such a fish is called a Golden Tench, 346. 

 Bitterling. The Bitterling, Rhodeus amarus, 348, is a small European fish, 

 the female of which deposits its eggs in the mantle-cavity of the 

 Pond-Mussel by means of a long external genital tube or ovi- 

 positor, which is developed in the breeding-season and dwindles 

 away afterward. Sometimes the tube is as long as the fish itself. 

 The eggs undergo their early development in the gills of the 



