106 FISHES OF ILLINOIS 



extent in this state that Captain John A. Schulte, of Havana, 

 wrote: "From the information I can get as an official of the 

 Illinois Fishermen's Association from all points along the Illinois 

 River, the carp have brought more money than the catch of all 

 the other fish combined. Long live the carp!" Carp are now 

 found very generally distributed over the state, being most 

 common, however, in the Illinois River and in our other larger 

 and more sluggish streams and lakes and bayous connecting 

 with them. They are not yet very abundant in southern 

 Illinois. The carp catch of the Illinois River alone now reaches 

 six to eight million pounds a year, valued at more than $200,000. 



Three races of carp are distinguishable: (1) the regularly- 

 scaled form, which is nearest to the native type of the domesti- 

 cated races; (2) the mirror-carp, which has the body partly bare, 

 with but two or three irregular rows of large scales along the 

 back; and (3) the leather-carp, which is scaleless, with a thick, 

 soft, velvety skin. Many local German races of carp, of no 

 interest here, have been described. Although the first impor- 

 tation of carp by the U. S. Fish Commission contained a greater 

 proportion of the mirror and leather races than of the scaled 

 carp, the former did not thrive except under domestication, and 

 to-day there are few mirror or leather carp living in a wild state 

 in American waters.* 



Carp prefer moderately warm water, not too deep, and with 

 plenty of aquatic vegetation. They will live in almost any 

 situation, thriving in waters of all degrees of turbidity and con- 

 tamination. They are very hardy under extremes of tempera- 

 ture, and are easily resuscitated after freezing. Carp shipped 

 from Havana, 111., to New York City by freight arrive alive 

 provided the gills are kept moist by melting ice. Although of 

 lazy habit, resting much of the time on the bottom, they are 

 wary, and are particularly quick to find a way out of a net, or 

 to jump over it. They are omnivorous feeders, taking princi- 

 pally vegetable matter, but insect larvae, crustaceans and mol- 

 lusks, and other small aquatic animals as well. They often pull 

 up the roots of tender aquatic plants while feeding. Cole 

 (1905) found them feeding at all times of day. They apparently 

 seek deeper water in winter, where they remain semi-torpid, 

 taking little or no food. 



* Cole (1905) found that over 91 per cent, of 3,000 carp counted at Lake Erie were scaled 

 carp. In half a carload of carp looked over as they were unloaded from skiffs at Havana in 

 August 1905, I was unable to detect a single specimen of the mirror or leather varieties. — 

 R.E. R. 



