CARP AND TENCH. 273 
become historical. The oldest of them have now quite 
lost their normal colour from their great age, and are 
very nearly white. There is, moreover, evidence that 
many of these fish introduced into the ponds at Ver- 
sailles, &c., during the reign of Louis the Fourteenth 
(say 1690), are either still living or were so but a short 
time before the Revolution of 1830. Dr. Smith, in his 
“ Tour to the Continent,’ mentions them, and observes 
that they had grown white through age. Valenciennes 
refers to others in the Tuileries, which would also come 
when called by their names ; and Buffon assures us that 
he had seen in the fosses of the Ponchartrain, Carp 
which were known to be upwards of a century and a 
half old. 
A year or two ago a series of ponds near Cumberland 
Lodge, Windsor Park, were run off for the purpose of 
getting rid of the Jack; and the result of the netting 
illustrated in a remarkable way the slow growth-rate of 
the Carp. Thus, nearly all the Carp taken from the 
Obelisk pond were of a very similar weight, viz.: from 
4 lbs. to 6lbs. These fish, within the positive knowledge 
of the Head Fisherman, were fifty years old at least. 
They had been twice removed during his memory from 
the different ponds, the last time some thirty-five years 
previous, when they weighed about 3 lbs. each. Their 
‘ subsequent growth-rate could not have averaged there- 
fore more than about an ounce a year. Old Carp are 
very bad breeders, and frequently retain their eggs for 
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