BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 



75 



III. — Composition of Whitefish, Salmon, Eels, Oysters, Mus- 

 sels, Spawn, and Lobsters (p. 302). 



33.— A GREAT C.\KP. 

 By ALFRED MACKKEI.L,. 



[From the Fishing Gazette, February 23, 1884.] 



I went on Monday last to Walton-on-Thames, to have a day's fishing 

 with my fisherman, old George Hone. On my arrival he greeted me 

 with, " Well, sir, I have got another big carp to show you, but it is not 

 so big as the one you caught." He opened the well of his punt, and 

 there was a splendid female carp which he had caught in his lauding 

 net. 



The water rose very rapidly about a fortnight back, and at the end 

 of last week fell very rapidly. On these occasions old George is 

 always on the lookout for stranded fish, so that he may assist them 

 back to their homes. 



In the backwater at Walton, in a shallow pool, George saw the carp, 

 and very cleverly put the landing net under the fish, and placed it in 

 the well of his punt for my insj^ection. We weighed the fish, which 

 was full of spawn, and found it turned the scales at 9^ iwunds. After 

 weighing it we returned it to the river again, close to the bough where 

 I took the great carp in 1882, weighing 12^ pounds. 



Tenby Lodge, Kingston Hill, Surrey. 



