no BRITISH FRESH-WATER FISHES 



be sufficiently boiled. Then take out the carp, and lay it, 

 with the broth, into the dish, and pour upon it a quarter ot 

 a pound of the best fresh butter, melted, and beaten with 

 half a dozen spoonfuls of the broth, the yolks of two or 

 three eggs, and some of the herbs shred. Garnish your dish 

 with lemons, and so serve it up. And much good do you ! " 



One can almost see the old gentleman's eyes twinkling 

 and his lower lip trembling as he dictated these sumptuous 

 directions ; but, after all, 'tis but a poor fish that cannot be 

 relished with a simpler sauce. 



The Crucian Carp (Carassius vulgaris) 



TEETH. 



Pharyngeal, in a single 

 series of four on each 

 side. 



FIN FORMULA. 

 Dorsal : 18 to 20 rays, of which the first three 



are bony. 



Pectoral : 13 to 14 rays. 



Ventral : 9 rays, of which the first two are bony. 

 Anal : 8 rays, of which the first three are bony. 

 Caudal ' : 17 rays. 



The Crucian Carp (Carassius vulgaris) has been placed 

 by naturalists in a different family to that of Cyprtnus on 

 account of a different arrangement of teeth and the absence of 

 barbels from the lips. Otherwise it bears a close resemblance 

 in many respects to its greater relative, notably in colour of 

 the skin and in the form and arrangement of the fins. It 

 is, however, like the common carp, an exceedingly variable 

 creature. In the type the body is very high and laterally 

 compressed, the depth being about equal to one-half the length. 

 In some waters it assumes a more elongated form, but even 

 then it can be distinguished at a glance from small individuals 

 of the true carp by the absence of barbels. The irides, also, 

 which in the carp are golden, are generally of a silvery tone 

 in the crucian carp, although some naturalists report them as 

 golden with a tinge of red. It may be remarked in passing 



