PLATE LX. 
This pretty little fish is frequent in many of our fresh water stream* 
that flow over a gravelly bottom, during the summer ; keeping toge- 
ther in large shoals, and swimming very near the surface of the 
water. Old Walton tells us that the Minow-, or Pent, (Pink) is not 
easily found and caught till March, or April, for then it appeal's first 
in the river, nature having taught it to shelter and hide itself in the 
winter time in ditches near the river, both for the sake of security, 
and to keep itself warm in the mud, or amongst the weeds. 
“ The Minow (says this writer in another place) hath, when he 
is in perfect season, and not sick, which is only presently after 
spawning, a kind of dappled or waved colour, like to a panther, on 
his sides, inclining to greenish and sky colour, his belly being milk 
white, and his back almost black, or blackish. He Is a sharp biter 
at a small worm, and in hot weather makes excellent sport for young 
anglers, or boys, or women that love that recreation, and in the spring 
they make of them excellent minow-tansies ; for being washed well 
in salt, and their head and tails cut ofF, and their guts taken out, and 
not washed after, they prove excellent for that U3e ; that is, being 
fried with yolks of eggs, the flowers of cowslips, and of primroses, 
and a little tansy ; thus used, they make a dainty dish of meat.” 
In a note likewise under the history of the Perch, in the last 
edition of the Complete Angler, we are told, that the largest perch 
are taken with a minow, hooked with a good hold through the back- 
fin, or rather through the upper-lip, as the perch, from the structure 
of his mouth, cannot take the bait cross-wise like the pike. The 
Minow is well known to be an excellent bait for the latter fish also, 
and likewise for the trout, both which fishes, together with the perch, 
are the greatest enemies of the Minow. 
