CRUCIAN CARP. 



313 



culum with the suboperculum ; the dorsal and ventral fins 

 commence on the same vertical plane ; the length of the 

 base of the dorsal fin nearly equal to the depth of the 

 body ; anal fin small, placed in a vertical line half before 

 and half behind the origin of the last ray of the dorsal fin ; 

 the stronger bony ray of the dorsal and anal fin finely 

 serrated, compared with the serrations in the rays of these 

 fins in the Common Carp. The tail forked, divided into 

 two nearly equally rounded halves, the longest rays about 

 one-third longer than the short rays of the middle portion ; 

 the upper part with ten rays, the lower portion with nine. 



The top of the head and back olive brown ; the sides 

 lighter in colour ; the belly almost white ; the whole fish 

 shining with a brilliant golden metallic lustre : irides golden ; 

 cheeks and gill-covers brilliant golden yellow ; the dorsal 

 fin and upper part of the tail, brown tinged with orange ; 

 pectoral, ventral, and anal fins, orange red ; lower part of 

 the tail tinged with the same colour. 



This fish has been considered here as the C. gibelio of 

 Bloch ; but in one circumstance it does not agree with his 

 fish. Bloch says the C. gibelio has but twenty-seven ver- 

 tebrse ; those of C. carassius are stated by Bloch to be 

 thirty, but the specimens examined for the description 

 now given had also thirty vertebrae. The fin-rays agree 

 in number with those of Blocks gibelio., and do not coincide 

 with the number considered to be present in carassius. 



From some measurements, and other particulars in my 

 note-book, I have great reason to believe that specimens 

 of C. carassius have been more than once brought to me 

 from the Thames ; but not at that time contemplating the 

 want of them for the present purpose, the specimens were 

 not preserved. In order, however, that other inquirers may 

 identify this species should it occur, a reduced figure of 



