THE GERMAN CARP IN THE UNITED STATES. 505 



ing, and the simile is not bad, for much of their food is obtained by 

 rooting- about in the mud. In soft mudd}- or marl}' bottoms one will 

 often see numerous little pits and holes a few inches, or often more, 

 in diameter, showing where the fish have been at work. In most of 

 its feeding the carp works slowl}' and rather quietly, though persist- 

 ently; but the rooting in the mud they often undertake in a more vig- 

 orous manner, twisting and splashing, and tugging at the roots of 

 water plants. It is this that makes the water so roily, and anyone 

 familiar with their habits can tell at once the presence of carp when 

 they are feeding in this manner simply by the appearance of the water. 

 Moreover, the freshly dug up stems and leaves of cat-tails, sweet flag, 

 wild teler}', and other water plants are often to he seen floating about, 

 furnishing further evidence of the destructive work going on below. 

 The extent to which the character of the aquatic vegetation is changed 

 in this wa}' will be discussed later, when we come to consider the 

 economic aspects of the question. The fish probably dig up these 

 plants mostl}^ for the tender shoots and rootlets, but the}^ undoubtedly 

 obtain many smaller organisms from the mud at the same time. The 

 barbels at the sides of the mouth, which are well supplied with taste 

 buds, are probably of much assistance in helping to ascertain the pres- 

 ence of food particles in the mud. I have not been able to observe 

 the process in natural surroundings, but judging from the actions of 

 small carp kept in an aquarium, I should sa}^ that much of the mud is 

 sucked into the mouth and further "tested" for food by the more 

 efficient" organs there; if satisfactory it is swallowed, if not it is 

 rejected. The fish will often take into the mouth in the same way 

 particles floating in the water, some of which will be swallowed and 

 others rejected in a manner similar to thatdescri'Ded by Herrick (1903, 

 p. 265) in the sea robin {Prionotus caroIhiKs). In respect to the dis- 

 tribution of the organs of taste and the manner of feeding, carp would 

 thus appear to be midway between such forms as the cat-fishes on the 

 one hand, which have a well developed sense of taste over the entire 

 bod}-, and the sea robin on the other, in which taste is confined to the 

 mouth. 



Carp do not, however, do all their feeding at the bottom by any 

 means. Where the water is shallow and clear they may often be 

 seen swimming slovrly about, skimming floating particles of food 

 from the surface or working industriously along the stems of the 

 water plants. At the surface they probabl}^ get small floating plants, 

 insects or their larva?, such as mosquitoes, May flies (or "June bugs," 

 as they are popularl}^ called along the lakes), etc., as well as the seeds 

 of plants, and other substances which are dropped or blown into the 



a Herrick (1903, p. 267) says that " the delicacy of the sense of taste in the skin is directly propor- 

 tional to the nnmber of terminal buds in the areas in question," In the carp these buds are 

 esijecially well developed on the "palate." 



