THE CARP. 13 



Time of spawuiug Fecundity. 



that he himself saw carp in the fosses of Pont- 

 Churtruin, that were known to be upwards of 

 one hundred and fifty years of age. In the 

 King of Prussia's garden at Charlottenbmg, 

 there are carp remarkably old, of which we 

 shall make hereafter mention. Gessner relates 

 an instance of one that was a hundred years 

 old, and the pond in the garden of Emu- 

 nuel College Cambridge, contained a carp that 

 had been an inhabitant more than seventy years. 

 .Like other fish of this genus, carp live upon 

 plants, mud worms, and aquatic insects. 



Carp spawn in June, and sometimes in May, 

 when it is a forward spring, seeking places co- 

 vered with grass or plants, for depositing its eggs. 

 One female is usually accompanied by three 

 males. At this season the river carp proceed in 

 4 shoals towards the still waters which communi- 

 cate with the river, and if their course be stopped 

 by a dam or weir, they leap over it, when it 

 does not exceed the height of four to six feet. 

 After they have spawned, they return to the ri- 

 vers. Though exposed to the voracity of several 

 kinds offish, and aquatic birds, they multiply 

 very fast ; in a carp weighing only nine pounds 

 and three quarters, Dr. Bloch found two hun- 

 dred and thirty-five thousand eggs. Soon after, 

 be says M. von Schlegel sent him one of the 

 carp with which he used to stock his ponds, in- 

 forming him ;.t the same time that he was at a 

 loss how to get rid of the young fry, which were 

 0.2 



