106 FISHES OF ILLIXOIS 



utilization of carp had increased to such an extent in this state that 

 Captain John A. Schulte, of Havana, wrote: "From the informa- 

 tion 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 south- 

 ern Illinois. The carp catch of the Illinois River ^lone 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 domesticated 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 importation 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 domesti- 

 cation, 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 situa- 

 tion, thriving in waters of all degrees of turbidity and contami- 

 nation. They are very hardy under extremes of temperature, 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 principally vegetable matter, but insect 

 larvae, crustaceans and mollusks, 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. 



