I02 BRITISH FRESH-WATER IISHES 



but in well-nourished individuals the greatest depth is most 



often equal to about one-third of the length. The lips are 



yellow, thick, and fleshy, usually, but not invariably, 



ppearance. ^^^^^\^^ ^^^^ barbels, two of an olive colour 



hanging from the upper jaw, and two longer ones, coloured 

 red or yellow, at the corners of the mouth. The eyes are 

 large and well-set, with golden irides. The body is clothed 

 with thick scales, so large as to number only thirty-five to 

 thirty-nine along the lateral line, the diameter of each scale 

 being greater by one-half than that of the eye. The prevailing 

 body tint is bronze, brownish, or bluish on the back, blending 

 into brassy and golden tints on the sides, and fading to 

 something approaching white on the under parts. 



The single dorsal fin, of a grey colour, contains seventeen 

 to twenty-two rays, whereof the first is bony and serrated. 

 The base of this fin extends over about one-third of the length 

 of the body. The caudal fin is purplish in hue, and is divided 

 into two equal rounded lobes containing seventeen to nineteen 

 rays. The pectoral and ventral fins match the caudal fin in 

 colour ; the anal fin is reddish-brown with orange rays. 



Dr. Gilnther says that the growth of the carp is perhaps 

 more rapid than that of any other fresh-water fish. This 

 would be a difficult thing to prove, seeing how much the 

 growth of most fish, and the size they may attain, depends 

 upon the abundance of food. The carp has this advantage 

 over most of his rivals, that his diet is to a large extent 

 vegetarian. He is able to make many a hearty meal where 

 carnivorous fish must go fasting. But it would be an interest- 

 ing experiment to match against each other different fish of 

 those kinds which have no definite limit of size by putting 

 them in stews, supplying them regularly with as much pro- 

 vender as they could consume, and weighing them against 

 each other at the end of a year. There might be found some- 

 body bold enough to enter a pike, or even a rainbow trout, 

 at scratch against Dr. Giinther's carp. 



