THE CARP 103 



The carp is one of those fish which own to no normal 

 stature or weight ; but, just as no precise Hmit can be assigned 

 to its proportions, so none can be set to the wild stories long 

 current about the size of individuals. There can be little 

 doubt, however, that in Germany these fish are sometimes 

 taken of the weight of from 30 lb. to 40 lb. The records of 

 heavy carp in England are open to cavil, owing partly to the 

 neglect of precision in making them, and partly to the well- 

 known characteristic of all sporting fish to increase in weight 

 year by year after death ; but there is nothing unusual in the 

 occurrence of carp from 10 lb. to 15 lb. in weight in British 

 waters. 



The late Frank Buckland received one of 21^ lb. from 

 Mr. Charles, the fishmonger of Lower Grosvenor Place, of 

 which he took a cast, and another of i6ilb. ; but he has 

 omitted to record where these fish were caught — whether in 

 England or on the Continent. There is also a well-authenti- 

 cated instance of a carp weighing 24^ lb,, netted from Harting 

 Great Pond, near Petersfield, in 1858. If the size of carp 

 be a matter of uncertainty, still greater is the difficulty in 

 ascertaining their normal duration of life. Marvellous stories 

 have been supplied for those curious in such matters — and by 

 what easy transition do the curious become the credulous ! — 

 but of trustworthy evidence the absence is almost complete. 

 There is good reason to suppose that the carp exceeds most 

 fish in longevity ; it leads a leisurely life in tranquil waters, 

 exposed, indeed, to the attacks of a variety of parasites, but 

 protected, as a rule, from violent catastrophe, and singularly 

 discreet in accepting the lures of any but the most crafty 

 anglers. Still, the even tenor of the carp's life is not 

 altogether exempt from the vicissitudes of human politics, 

 and the great carp in the ponds at Versailles, reputed to be 

 the original fish placed there in the reign of the Grand 

 Monarque (1643-17 15), are believed to have shared the fate 

 of other privileged classes at the hands of the revolutionaries 



