THE BARBEE. 
igi 
The colour of the back is a pale olive ; the belly is fil- 
v'ty, and proceeds without protuberance, nearly in a 
ftraight line; fothat, when touching the bottom, the mouth 
at the fame time reaches the ground. The head is hoping, 
the fnout fomewhat pointed ; and on the fummit of the 
iodrum there are two beards ; other two ipring from 
the hides of the mouth ; a circumdance from which this 
lifh derives its name altnoft in every language. From 
the middle of the back, which is a little arched, there 
rifes one dorfal iin with ten rays, of which the fir II is the 
larged. The tail is bifurcated, and between it and the 
anus there rifes another fin fupported by feven rays *V 
The flelh of the barbel feems to have been held in no 
eftimation among the ancients : Aufonius alone mentions 
it, and, without any commendation, excepting that it 
improved by agef. It frequents the dill and deep parts 
of the Britijh rivers, where it lives in fociety, and roots 
like a hog among the fandy banks. Tde Danube is fa- 
mous for the refort of this filh ; it is there found in the 
caverns of the rocks, and holes under the banks, in num- 
bers that defy all computation. The peafants take them 
with their hands, in quantities fufficient to load a wag- 
gon f . Thofe in our rivers are charadterifed by the fame 
tamenefs and infipidity; they are often taken with thediand, 
by diving : In fummer they move about in quell of food; 
but during autumn and winter, they confine themlelves 
to the deeped holes. The poorer peafants alone, and that 
from hard neceflity, are conftrained to eat them boiled with 
a piece of bacon. They are deemed the coarfed of all 
frefli 
* Willough. p. 259. 
f —Tibi contigit imi 
Spirantum ex numcro non inlaudata fefle&u?* 
t Albert us. 
t 
