OR, THE HOME-CULTURE OF FRESH-WATER PLANTS. 



and capable of inspiring many kinds of interest which 

 we should not have dreamt of without some previous 

 knowledge concerning them. I shall therefore make 

 no apology for appending a brief historical notice to 

 each of the fish about to be described. 



The Carp is a desirable fish for the Aquarium 

 perhaps even more so than the Perch, as he is not 

 so voracious ; indeed, he seldom attacks fish, living 

 almost entirely upon small aquatic insects or 

 worms, etc. The common Carp, Cyprinus carpio, 

 was noticed by both Aristotle and Pliny, but was 

 not held in so much estimation by the ancients 

 as by the moderns, especially during the middle 

 ages. 



The Carp declines in size when removed from the 

 warmer regions of the temperate zones ; but he is 

 " cultivated " as a table delicacy with much success 

 both in Austria and Prussia, where Carp ponds 

 form an essential feature in rustic economy. An 

 acre of water stored with Carp will, in fact, let for 

 as much as an acre of the richest land. In central 

 Europe, where it is difficult, indeed nearly im- 

 possible, to obtain sea fish, those of the fresh- water 

 are very highly prized, and their growth and 

 various methods of fattening them have been studied 

 with much success. 



