THE CARPS 97 



carried up by the eddy as the water enters his mouth. 

 This food is thoroughly ground into a pulp by the 

 teeth in the throat, any larger pieces of food which 

 pass into the stomach being returned to the throat 

 to be masticated. 



If you take any of the carp family and slip your 

 finger behind the gill cover, you will feel several arches 

 on either side which carry the gills, and attached to the 

 last of these arches are the throat teeth. 



In the carp the throat teeth have broad grinding 

 surfaces, which work against the pad of gristle in the 

 roof of the throat. In the chubb these teeth are 

 pointed, and when they are made to meet the teeth 

 on the other side, this fish is able to cut a minnow 

 clean in two. 



The grinding teeth of the carp shown in the illustra- 

 tion have an interesting history. In 1902, Ipswich was 

 visited by a terrific storm ; the water rushing down the 

 paths in the park, cut great gulleys six feet deep, and 

 a torrent of mud and sand swept through the fish ponds ; 

 from these ponds the water went through the houses 

 at the bottom of the park, and carried fish right into 

 the town. The carp from which these photographs were 

 obtained weighed seven pounds, and was found among 

 the branches of a tree in a private garden. Among other 

 fish a four-pound eel was taken in the cellar of a house. 

 Thousands of fish died, their gills being absolutely 

 clogged with fine sand ; many of the bigger fish might 

 have been saved if the grit had been gently washed away, 



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