14 



The American Angler 



size of fishes. Even in species in no 

 way remarkable for their dimensions, 

 we sometimes meet with old individuals, 

 favorably situated, which more or less 

 exceed the ordinary weight and meas- 

 urement of their kind." 



But if there is doubt as to the maxi- 

 mum weight and growth of carp, none 

 exists of its great tenacity of life. He 

 can be frozen rigid and thawed out to 

 an exuberant vitality; partially evis- 

 cerated and the cavity filled with felt, 

 and he will still pursue his ordinary 

 vocations; unsexed, and the fish seems 

 to improve in flavor, fat and activity. 

 A most striking instance of its hold on 

 life is related by Mr. Fred. Spiel, a 

 fishing tackle dealer of Philadelphia. 

 He stated to me that he caught a carp 

 in Darby Creek, near that city, that 

 weighed 12 lbs. It was brought to 

 his home and lay until next morning 

 on the store counter, where it repeat- 

 edly flapped its tail twenty-four hours 

 after capture. On the second day it 

 was put into a tub of water, and in a 

 few moments was swimming around 

 lively. On the following Saturday, 

 five days from the date of capture, it 

 was taken out of the tub, its head 

 chopped off with a hatchet, and it was 

 disemboweled. It was then split in 

 twain, and when the knife was put into 

 the flesh the tail flapped, and the fish 

 moved at one time so violently that a 

 glass of water standing six inches from 

 the fish was knocked off the table. We 

 can the more readily credit this state- 

 ment of Mr. Spiel, whom I know per- 

 sonally to be of good repute, because 

 of the fact that in Holland these fish 

 are kept for months in nets in cool 

 cellars and fed on bread and milk, thus 

 fattened for the market, which process 

 of stall-feeding will account for the 

 popularity of the carp on German 



tables. Packed in moss, with their 

 mouths filled with bread which has 

 been steeped in brandy, they will live 

 for days; or, if placed in fresh grass 

 they can be kept alive for a long time, 

 if the basket is dipped once in twenty- 

 four hours into fresh and cool water. 

 The celebrated fish painter, Rolfe, 

 kept a carp alive for more than a week, 

 only giving it an occasional bath, and 

 at the end took it down to the Thames 

 and released it, when it swam away as 

 lively as ever. Finally, in closing these 

 notes on the vitality of the fish, I quote 

 from Tlie Stiver State : 



" There is a pond on the Lay Ranch 

 at Golconda which is fed by the waters 

 from the Hot vSprings. This pond has 

 an area of two or three acres, and the 

 temperature of the water is about 85°, 

 and in some places where the hot water 

 bubbles up from the bottom the tem- 

 perature is almost up to the boiling 

 point. Recently the discovery has 

 been made that this warm lake is liter- 

 ally alive with carp, some of which are 

 more than a foot long. ' All efforts to 

 catch them with a hook and line have 

 failed, as they will not touch the most 

 tempting bait. A few of them have 

 been shot, and contrary to the general 

 supposition the flesh was hard and 

 palatable. How the fish got into the 

 lake is a mystery unsolved. Within 

 100 feet of it are springs which are 

 boiling hot, and the ranchers in the vi- 

 cinity use the water to scald hogs in 

 the butchering season." 



We can swallow almost anything in 

 the fish line (except carp flesh), but 

 our faith weakens over the carp grow- 

 ing firm and palatable in a habitat of 

 hot water. With this exception we 

 see no reason to doubt the statement of 

 the Nevada paper. 



In addition to its great gifts of 



