THE CARP TRIBE 2831 



or less strongly serrated bony ray, and more than nine branched rays, while the 

 pharyngeal teeth are arranged in three series, with those of the outermost one molar- 

 like. The muzzle is rounded and blunt, with four barbels, and the rather narrow 

 mouth at its extremity. The true carp form a small genus confined to the tem- 

 perate parts of Europe and Asia, the common species being a native of the latter 

 continent, and abundant in a wild state in China, where it has also long been 

 domesticated. Thence it was introduced into Germany and Sweden, and subse- 

 quently into Britain it is said early in the seventeenth century. The ordinary 

 form is shown in the upper figure of the illustration on p. 2830; but there are many 

 domesticated varieties, differing either in the form of the body or the size and 

 arrangement of the scales. Among the latter, one of the most remarkable is the so- 

 called Spiegel karpfen (mirror carp), shown in the right-hand middle figure of the 

 illustration. In this variety, which is found only in ponds, the scales are three or 

 four times the normal size, and instead of covering the whole body are arranged in 

 from one to three longitudinal rows, with bare skin between them. In Western 

 Europe the carp has taken kindly to its new habitat, not unfrequently attaining as 

 much as a yard in length, with a weight of twenty-five pounds, while very much 

 larger specimens are on record. Preferring still waters, with a soft muddy bottom 

 in which it grovels with its snout for food, the carp feeds on various vegetable sub- 

 stances, as well as on insects and other small aquatic invertebrates. When the sur- 

 face of their haunts is locked in ice, carp lie deeply buried in holes in the mud, 

 frequently consorting in numbers, and undergoing a partial hibernation, which is 

 not broken till the returning warmth of spring. Their growth is extremely rapid, 

 and their fecundity extraordinary, nearly three-quarters of a million eggs having 

 been counted in the roe of a medium-sized specimen. They are capable of living a 

 considerable time out of water, especially if they are moistened from time to time; 

 and are known to live to a very great age. Carp will interbreed both with the 

 Crucian and golden carp. 



Easily distinguished by the absence of barbels, the Crucian carp 

 ' r (Carassius vulgaris) and the golden carp or goldfish (C. auratus) 



are the best-known representatives of another closely-allied genus; the 

 former being a native of Central and Northern Europe, but also found in Italy and 

 Siberia, while the home of the second is China and the warmer parts of Japan. 

 Both are comparatively small species, and have been long domesticated; whereas, 

 however, the Crucian carp always retain the original brownish color, the domesti- 

 cated variety of the golden carp has assumed the well-known golden tinge from 

 which it takes its name; an albino form being also known. Among the numerous 

 varieties of this fish the most curious is the so-called telescope fish, shown in the 

 right-hand figure of the illustration on p. 2782, taking its name from the promi- 

 nence of the highly movable eyes, and likewise characterized by the great develop- 

 ment of the caudal fin. In Europe goldfish thrive best in waters heated somewhat 

 above the ordinary temperature, and they are accordingly frequently kept in engine 

 ponds, where the water may have a temperature of some 80, and in which they 

 breed freely. The Crucian carp, shown on the left of the illustration on p. 2830, is 

 confined to ponds and lakes, where it seeks the deepest parts. 



