SCALES, MIRRORS, LEATHERS 



acre surface and six to ten feet of depth contained, 

 was now collected in tanks of a few tons, in which 

 they would journey to their destination. 



I sat down beside the baskets containing the 

 carp and, taking some of the fish in my hands, 

 began comparing them with due attention. As the 

 three kinds were separated, they were put into baskets 

 containing one kind only. Around me were " scales ", 

 " mirrors ", and " leathers ", and it was a simple matter 

 for me to examine them in detail, see in what respects 

 they resembled one another, and note their points of 

 difference. The " scale " carp belonged to the old 

 type common to the locality, which had long been 

 raised in most of the ponds in that part of the country, 

 but the " mirror " and " leather " carp had a different 

 origin, for they had been brought from Central Europe 

 only a few years before. 



In structure, the first-named displayed a remarkable 

 degree of uniformity. Their scaly coat covered the 

 whole body, leaving no bare spot anywhere; it pro- 

 vided the creature with a light covering which, though 

 tough, was sufficiently supple to yield at every turn. 

 These overlapping scales, set one upon another like 

 the tiles of a roof, were perfectly regular in arrange- 

 ment in all the specimens. Each has a large part of 

 its surface covered by the one above it, and the visible 

 part of it, covering the corresponding part of the one 

 below, is four-sided with curved edges. Each fish has 

 the same number, or practically the same number, of 

 them. Their equality, their fitting together, bring 

 them into regular longitudinal lines and slightly oblique 

 transverse rows. Each fish has about forty of them in 

 a longitudinal line, and a dozen ranging from top to 

 bottom of each side. This figure is fixed and never 

 varies; it is settled when the fish is quite young and 

 never alters. The scales are tiny to begin with, but 

 grow larger with the development of the body, always 

 keeping their place, number, and relation. 



9* 



