PISHES OF NEW YORK 109 



in diameter was killed in the Danube in 1853. There is a record 

 of a giant specimen of 90 pounds from Lake Zug in Switzer- 

 land. Examples weighing 24 pounds have been caught recently 

 in the Potomac river at Washington D. C. 



Food. The carp lives principally on vegetable food, prefera- 

 bly the seeds of water plants such as the water lilies, wild rice 

 and water oats. It will eat lettuce, cabbage, soaked barley, 

 wheat, rice, corn, insects and their larvae, worms and meats of 

 various kinds. It can readily be caught with dough, grains of 

 barley or wheat, worms, maggots, wasp larvae, and sometimes 

 with pieces of beef or fish. 



During the summer of 1897 two female leather carp died in 

 captivity as a result of retention of the eggs. 



Large individuals are found in Prospect park lake. Brooklyn, 

 where the specie was introduced. The food of the fish in cap- 

 tivity includes hard clam, earthworms, wheat, corn, lettuce and 

 cabbage. Its growth is remarkable. A leather carp has fully 

 doubled its weight in one year. 



Linnaeus says the carp was introduced into England about 

 the year 1600. De Kay places the first introduction into New 

 York waters in the year 1831 and publishes a letter of Henry 

 Eobinson, Newburg, Orange co., who brought them from 

 France, reared and bred them successfully in his ponds, and 

 planted from one dozen to two dozen annually in the Hudson dur 

 ing the four years preceding his letter. Mr Robinson stated 

 that they increased greatly and were frequently taken by fisher- 

 men in their nets. 



Order APODES 



Eels 



Suborder EXCHBLYCEPHALI 

 Family AT^OITII^LIDAE 



True Eels 



Genus AX<;I'IL,L,.\ Shaw 



Body elongate, subterete, compressed posteriorly, covered 

 with small, linear, embedded scales which are placed obliquely, 

 some of them at right angles to others; lateral line well devel- 



