478 



Fishes. 



England about three hundred years ago. They are very 

 tenacious of life, and at the inns in Holland are often 

 kept alive a month or six weeks, by being fed with 

 bread and milk, and laid on wet moss in a net, which is 

 hung from the ceiling in an airy place. The moss is kept 

 moist, and water is thrown over the fish twice a day. 



Carp is always considered a delicacy for the table, 

 especially when stewed in port wine ; and it appears to 

 have been long held in high estimation on that account, 

 as we find, from the privy purse expenses of Henry 

 VIII., that the bluff king was exceedingly fond of 

 Carp. 



THE TENCH, (Cyprinus tinea,) 



LIKE the carp, is remarkably tenacious of life. Its body 

 is thick and short, and seldom exceeds twelve inches in 

 length, or four pounds in weight. The eyes are red; 

 the back, dorsal, and ventral fins dusky ; the head, sides, 

 and abdomen of a greenish hue, mixed with gold ; and 

 the tail very broad. The Tench delights in still water, 

 in the muddy parts of ponds, where it is the most secure 

 from the voracious ramblings and fierce attacks of the 

 tyrant pike, and from the hook of the angler; here it 

 lives nearly motionless, lurking beneath flags, reeds, and 

 weeds. This inactive life has enabled some individuals 



