Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Minnow
MINNOW (Leuciscus phoxinus or Phoxinus lævis) is the smallest British Cyprinoid, readily distinguished by its very small scales. It is abundant in rivers, brooks, and lakes, always swimming in schools, and shifting its ground in search of food, which consists of every kind of vegetable and animal substance. It ranges from southern Europe to Scandinavia, and from Ireland into north-eastern Asia; in the Alps it attains to a higher altitude than any other Cyprinoid, viz., to nearly 8000 feet. Its usual size varies between 2 and 3 inches; but in suitable localities, especially in Germany, it is known to reach a length of from 4 to 5 inches. The colours vary with age and season; a series of dark spots or cross-bands along the sides is always present, but the males assume in summer a nuptial dress of scarlet or purple on the lower parts of the head and body. The minnow is used as bait; it can also be introduced with facility and with great advantage into ponds in which there is otherwise a scarcity of food for more valuable fishes, such as trout, perch, and pike.