Page:British Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fresh-water Fishes.djvu/102

BRITISH FRESH-WATER FISHES the upper parts, with golden, or silvery, on sides and underneath. On various parts of the body, and also on the fins, there are dark spots. It does not attain a greater length than 6 to 8 inches. It is a common inhabitant of many of our rivers and streams, but is not known beyond the northern border of England. I have known shoals of Gudgeon to haunt a particular spot in a certain river for over forty years, and force of habit makes me look to see if any of the little fellows are in the old spot whenever I chance to pass that way. I am rarely disappointed. It is by no means an active species, and

seems to take life very quietly. It feeds upon various kinds of aquatic life, and in searching for same displays similar habits to its larger first-cousin, the Barbel. As in the latter, the male Gudgeon has tubercles on the head during the breeding season, and this latter may last over a period of several weeks, commencing in April or May. The eggs are laid in little groups among the stones forming the gravel bed of the stream. The curious name comes from the Latin word Gobionem but is indirectly derived from a French word=Goujon, which has become Anglicised into = Gudgeon. 84