The Gold-Fish. 479 



of this species to attain an extraordinary bulk. We have 

 read, as a well-authenticated fact, that in the northern 

 part of England, in a piece of water, which having heen 

 long neglected, was filled with timber, stones, and rub- 

 bish, two hundred Tench, and as many perch of good 

 size were found ; and that one fish in particular, which 

 seemed to have been shut up in a nook, had not only 

 surpassed all the others in size, but had also taken 

 the form of the hole in which it had been accidentally 

 confined. The body was in the shape of a half-moon, 

 conforming in the convexity of its outlines to the con- 

 cavity of the dungeon where this innocent sufferer had 

 been immured for a number of years ; it weighed eleven 

 pounds. 



THE GOLD-FISH, OK GOLDEN CAEP, 

 (Cyprimis aur-atus^) 



WAS originally brought from China, and first introduced 

 into England in 1661, but is now become quite common, 

 and will breed as freely in ponds as the carp. The 

 average size is about five inches, and it scarcely ever 

 exceeds seven and a half. Gold-fish are highly prized 

 in China, and are extensively introduced in the orna- 

 mental waters of our own countiy. Nothing is more 

 pleasing than to see them glide along and play in the 

 transparent crystal, whilst their broad and glittering 

 scales reflect the rays of the sun. They are often kept 

 within the small compass of a glass bowl, where they 

 become tame and docile, and after a short time seem to 

 recognise their feeders. 



