CRUCIAN. 29 



It is easy to suppose that some of these fishes which had been 

 obtained from the continent of Europe, where they are not 

 rare, may have been set free in the Thames without having 

 been operated on in the manner described, and there they may 

 have continued the race; but that the operation from which we 

 have an account of their introduction into England was not 

 such a novelty as was supposed, is rendered probable from the 

 lines of Sir Philip Sidney, although the operation was performed 

 upon another species: — 



We have a fish by strangers much admired, 



Which caught to cruel search yields his chief part; 

 (With gall cut out) closed up again by art, 



Yet lives imtil his life be new required. 



Seven Wonders of England. 



The Crucian, like most of the species of this family is highly 

 retentive of life, and in consequence may be conveyed to con- 

 siderable distances for the purpose of being propagated in ponds 

 or slowly-flowing rivers; but it will scarcely repay the exj)ense 

 or effort, as it is not highly esteemed for the table, and it 

 never becomes equal to the Carp in size. It is said to be of 

 slow growth. We copy the figure of this fish given by Fries 

 and Ekstrom, with a large portion of their description. 



In its early growth it bears some resemblance to the Carp, 

 but its shape is much deeper; in which particular it exceeds 

 the whole of this family; for its greatest depth is equal to one 

 half of its length. It may be further distinguished from the 

 Carp by the absence of barbs at the mouth. The jaws are 

 equal and without teeth, gape small; body thick and solid, but 

 compressed; the outline ascends from the snout, and more 

 especially from the head, to the origin of the dorsal fin; from 

 which again it descends in an oval to the origin of the tail. 

 Scales large, thirty-two on the course of the lateral line; this 

 line descends at first, and then straight. Eye rather small; 

 hindmost gill-cover divergently striped. Pectoral fin round, with 

 fifteen rays; ventrals also round, with nine rays; dorsal fin long, 

 beginning over the ventrals, wide, with a rounded outline, and 

 twenty rays; anal fin wide, rather short, with ten rays; the 

 third rays of the dorsal and anal fins, which are longer than 

 the preceding, thick and very finely notched; tail short, wide. 



