VERTEBRATA. PISCES. 



weight of twenty pounds. It is, however, a difficult 

 fish to capture, the angler for Carp, according to the 

 quaint but amiable father of anglers, having need to 

 "put on a very large measure of patience." Wal- 

 ton's editor, after quoting Gesner's statement, that 

 a Carp has been known to live in the Palatine 

 above a hundred years, adds in a note, " that in 

 1782, in the basin at Emanuel College, Cambridge, 

 a Carp was then living, that had been in the water 

 thirty-six years ; which, though it had lost one eye, 

 knew, and would constantly approach its feeder."* 



To this genus belongs that radiant little pet of 

 the drawing-room, the Gold-fish, (C. Auratus,) the 

 only fish commonly kept in a state of domestication. 

 It is a native of some mountain lakes in China, in 

 which country it has been for many ages domesti- 

 cated, as with us, and kept in porcelain vessels for 

 the amusement of the ladies. Thence it appears 

 they were brought to Portugal, where they have 

 now become quite naturalized, abounding in many 

 of its streams. Into our own country, they seem to 

 have been first introduced about the beginning of 

 the seventeenth century ; but although they multi- 

 ply freely in ponds and tanks, we are not aware that 

 they have as yet in any instance attained an indepen- 

 dence of man's protection in this country. The 

 great variety of colour assumed by these beautiful 

 little fishes, including every possible shade and com- 

 bination of silver, gold, brilliant orange and purple, 

 does not indicate any distinction of species, any 

 * Edit. 1815. p. 350 



