Page:British Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fresh-water Fishes.djvu/101

BARBEL AND GUDGEON the eggs are covered over by the parent fish. The Barbel is a tenacious species, and affords good sport to the angler, but its habits must be well known to lure it successfully. Care should be taken in eating this fish as, if it contains roe, this should be removed to guard against poison contained therein.

Gudgeon.—Gohio fluviatilis (Fig. 44). This happy-go-lucky little fish is indelibly linked up with one's boyhood days, when either big fish or little were considered "great game." It is a most sociable species, and loves to congregate on gravel or mud where the water is fast-flowing. It keeps very low in the water, but is so fastidious in its taste that it will allow most tempting baits to pass right over the shoal without effect. If, however, the fish are on the feed, a large number may be caught in a very short time. A small red worm, or the larva of a caddis fly, are the best baits to use. It may be looked upon as a small edition of the Barbel, but it is relegated to another genus because of the arrangement of the teeth. It has one barbel only on each side of the mouth. The general colour is brownish or greenish on 88