THE GOLD-FISH 177 



form. The scales in the lateral line number twenty- 

 eight to thirty-five, and there are six and a half to nine 

 between the origin of the dorsal fin and the lateral 

 line. The coloration is similar to that of the Carp. 



The Crucian Carp attains a length of about 

 1 8 inches and a weight of about 7 lbs. ; the 

 example figured (PL XXIV, Fig. i) is a small 

 fish of 6J inches. This species is found throughout 

 Europe and in Turkestan, Siberia, and Mongolia. 

 In our islands it is by no means so common as the 

 Carp, and it may not be indigenous ; it seems to 

 be absent from Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, and 

 except in the Thames system and some of the 

 Eastern counties is rare in England. 



In habits the Crucian Carp closely resembles the 

 Common Carp, but it is even more sluggish and 

 more shy ; on hot summer days the shoals may 

 bask or swim about near the surface, but they 

 usually lie quietly in the mud or among the 

 weeds. The breeding season is in April, May, and 

 June, when the eggs are shed amongst the weeds. 



The word Crucian corresponds to the German 

 name for this fish, Karausche^ which has been 

 latinized to form the generic name Carassius, 



The Gold-fish {Carassms auratus) is closely 

 related to the Crucian Carp, but the body is 

 usually more elongate, the dorsal fin is highest 

 anteriorly, and has the spine strong and coarsely 

 serrated, and the scales are larger, numbering 

 twenty-five to thirty in the lateral line, and five 

 to six and a half between the origin of the dorsal 

 fin and the lateral line. Like the Common Carp, 

 this species is a native of Eastern Asia, and in a 



