BAD OPINION OF THE CARP. 



357 



THE CARP. Cyprinus Carpio. 



The yellowish olive carp stands at the head of 

 a very numerous family, giving in my opinion no 

 very honourable name to them. They are just as 

 bad a race as the salmon tribe are excellent. If 

 they are of Saxon descent, they are very inferior 

 to our worst Celtic Salmonidce. They happily 

 eschew the mountain streams of the Gael, Celt, 

 and ancient Briton. The Dutch waters of our low 

 lands suit their burly bodies best. Neither I nor any 

 one else can tell you how to catch with the angle 

 the pater familias of the carp, he is so sly, and 

 nibbles in such a namby-pamby way, that he 

 strips the hook of its bait mouse-like. The angler 

 that can catch large carp, Captain Williamson 



