XXX.-THE CARP-FISHERIES IN THE PEITZ LAKES.^ 



That "carp in beer" is a favorite dish in Berlin is sufQciently proved 

 by the fact that about 500,000 pounds of this fish are annually consumed 

 in this city. It will therefore not be out of place to give a brief account 

 of the famous Peitz Lakes in Lower Lusatia, which mainly supply Ber- 

 lin with carj), and which were well known even in the time of Frederick 

 the Great.- 



The Ural-Baltic plateau, which includes a portion of Lusatia, contains 

 a very large number of lakes and ponds. Of these the Peitz Lakes 

 are the most important. These lakes, 76 in number, and forming a 

 water area of almost 5,000 acres, are a royal domain, and are at pres- 

 ent rented to Mr. Th. Berger. They produce a very large number ot 

 caries, and the annual fishing days in October, especially that of the 

 Devil's Lake, having an area of about 900 acres, formi* important and 

 interesting events, genuine popular holidays, not only for the inhabi- 

 tants of Peitz and the surrounding country and the people of the neigh- 

 boring city of Cottbus, but, because easy of access, likewise to many 

 inhabitants of the capital. It must, however, be borne in mind that 

 these great fisheries, and each one of the 60,000 or 70,000 carps caught 

 during this season, have a previous history extending over a period ot 

 about four years; for those well-fed, golden-scaled government fish, 

 resembling each other in size and shape as much as eggs, have not 

 sprung into existence suddenly like the armed men who rose from the 

 dragon-seed sowed by Cadmus, but it required great work and care and 

 trouble to develop them so far; and in order to understand all this we 

 shall have to become acquainted with the details of this industry, and 

 gain some entirely new ideas with regard to the carp and its life. We 

 here see not a fish rapidly parting the waves with its fins, and in undis- 

 turbed liberty now diving into the deep, now rising to the surface, 

 always timid and flying from the terrible iish of prey, but a well-cared- 

 for domestic animal, constantly guarded by and accustomed to human 

 beings; a very x>eaceful, phlegmatic animal, with a predilection for 

 muddy bottoms and slow -flowing water, growing more comfortable and 

 gentle in its ways by its "education," which has been going on for gen- 

 erations, all this tending to make the fish fat and comfortable looking, 

 and giving to its flesh a most delicious flavor. 



The life of the carp, which really may be termed a "jolly sort of im- 



* Die Karpfenfischerei in den Peitzer Teichen. From a Berlin daily paper. Trans- 

 lated by H. Jacobson. 



675 



