CHAPTER VII 



THE CARPS 



The Carp — Appearance — Distribution — Habits — Angling for Carp — The 

 Crucian Carp — Distribution — The Golden Carp, or Gold-Fish. 



Fourth Order: Physostomi : Bladdef'duct Fishes 



In leaving the Anacanthini, or Spineless Fishes, and taking 

 up the fourth order of Teleosteans, namely, the Physostomiy 

 or Bladder-duct Fishes, we get into contact with an older 

 type of animal, the remains of which are abundant in certain 

 geological deposits of the Tertiary era. The distinctive marks 

 of this order are the connection of the air-bladder, where 

 present, with the mouth by a pneumatic duct (except in the 

 Scombresocidce)^ and the articulation of all the fin rays, save 

 where in certain species the first ray in the dorsal and the 

 first in the pectoral are ossified. The ventral fins are 

 spineless, placed on the abdomen. 



Passing over the great family of Silurida^ or Cat Fishes, 

 and the smaller and exclusively marine one of Scopelid^^ we 

 come to the third family in this order, an exceedingly 

 important one in British ichthyology. 



Third Family, CYPRINID^: THE CARPS 



The carps comprise most of the fresh-water fish of the 

 northern hemisphere in both the Old and the New World. 

 They are also well represented in the tertiary deposits of 



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