172 BRITISH FRESHWATER FISHES 



line, and five to seven in a transverse series from the 

 origin of the dorsal fin to the lateral line. The 

 colour is usually of a greenish brown, with brassy 

 reflections on the sides. 



According to continental writers the Carp may 

 attain a weight of nearly lOO lbs., but 25 lbs. seems 

 to be about the limit for this country; our figure 

 (PI. XXIII, Fig. i) is of quite a small fish, only 

 7 inches long. 



The date of the introduction of this species is 

 uncertain, but it is now widely distributed in Britain 

 and Ireland. The first-known mention of it as a 

 British species is in Dame Juliana Berner's Boke of 

 St. Albans, published in 1496. 



The Carp is very variable in form and in the size of 

 the fins ; of domesticated varieties bred on the Conti- 

 nent may be mentioned the Mirror-carp, with the 

 scales much enlarged, and usually reduced to one or 

 two series on each side, the rest of the fish being 

 naked, and the Leather-carp, entirely scaleless, and 

 with the skin thickened. 



Carp are chiefly found in lakes, ponds, and slow- 

 running rivers ; they are especially partial to weedy 

 places where the bottom is muddy. In the summer- 

 time the shoals of Carp may be seen lying 

 motionless or slowly swimming about near the 

 surface of the water, sometimes browsing on the 

 weeds ; or they may be feeding at the bottom, 

 taking in and then ejecting mouthfuls of mud, from 

 which they probably extract some nutriment in the 

 form of decomposed vegetable matter ; their diet is 

 principally vegetarian, but worms, shrimps, insects, 

 etc., are also eaten. In the winter the Carp retire 

 into deep water and cease feeding ; they have been 



