474 



VEIITEBRATA. 



THE COMMON CAUP. 



--t;.-^:5« 



I'spi'ciallv ns ii i-liangc iVuin llio s^alt-fisli iliot to which many jyood Catholics were condemned 

 diirintr Lent. The C'l/prinida: Iced juincipally upon aquatic phmts and worms; but a few of ' 



them seem occasionally to prey upon 

 small fishes. 



Genus CYPRINUS : Cyprinus, in- 

 cludes the Common Carp of Europe, 

 C. carpio : it is ten to forty inches 

 long, and sometimes attains the weight 

 of a hundred pounds ; the general 

 color is rich olive-brown above ; yel- 

 lowish-white beneath. It inhabits 

 most of the fresh waters of Europe, 

 lakes, ponds, and rivers, generally pre- 

 ferring still water. It is kept and 

 cultivated in numerous reservoirs, especially in Austria, Prussia, and Great Britain. It Avas first 

 introduced into the latter country about three centuries ago; it has also been introduced into 

 this country with complete success, though on a limited scale. It is in season for the table from 

 October to April. A carp has been known to live to the age of one hundred and fifty years. 

 The Gold Carp, C. auratus, often called Gold-Fish and SUver-Fish, as it assumes both 



colors, is originally from China, the most 

 beautiful species being taken from Lake 

 Che-Kyang. Every person of fashion in 

 that country is said to keep them, either 

 in porcelain vessels or in the basins that 

 decorate the courts of Chinese houses. 

 Tlae elegance of their form and colors, and ■ 

 their playful and graceful motions, to- 

 gether Avith their tameness and facility 

 of production, and what is exceedingly 

 rare in fishes, a seeming aff"ection for each 

 other, have made them favorites every- 

 where as ornaments of the parlor and the fountain. Though they can bear high as well as low 

 degrees of heat, still they thrive best in water at a temperature of about eighty degrees. 



Genus BARBUS : Barhus.—Thii^ 

 includes the Barbel, B. vulgaris, | 

 said to be so called on account 

 of the barbs or wattles about its 

 mouth ; it is common in the Avarm 

 and temperate parts of Europe, being 

 abundant in the Rhine, Elbe, and 

 Weser; also in some of the English 

 rivers. They are shy of observation, 

 but are said, when supposing them- j 

 selves unnoticed, to show considerable ' 

 playfulness. They grow to the size 

 of fifteen pounds, and in some places 

 are caught in large numbers for food. 

 In cold weather they become torpid, 

 and may be taken by the hand. 

 " ' Genus GOBIO: 'GoUo.—Th\& in- 



cludes the Gudgeon, G. Jiuviatilis : it 

 is common in Europe, and is found in 

 It swims in slioals, feeds on worms, aquatic insects and 



THE GOLD CARP. 



THE BARBEL. 



THE GUDGEON. 



Streams which flow over gravelly soil. 



