THE CARP. 



331 



readily be seen in the young fish. The lens is shaped something like a jargonelle pear, 

 and is so arranged that its broad extremity is placed under the large segment of the 

 cornea. 



The Stargazer is a native of Surinam, and is one of the viviparous fish. Three 

 species of this genus are now known to naturalists. 



THOUGH not so brightly spotted as the trout, nor so desperately active when hooked, 

 and very inferior in flesh, the CARP is yet in much favor with anglers, on account of 

 its extreme cunning, which has earned for the fish the name of Fox of the waters. 

 As the number of British fish is so great, and our space so small, it will be needful to 

 compress the descriptions as much as possible, and to omit everything that does not 

 bear directly on the subject. 



The Carp is found both in rivers and lakes, and in some places, among which the 

 royal palaces of France may be mentioned, will often grow to an enormous size, and 

 become absurdly tame, crowding to the bank on the least encouragement, and poking 

 their great snouts out of the water in anxious expectation of the desired food. It is 

 most curious to watch these great creatures swimming lazily along, and to see how 

 completely they have lost the inherent dread of man by the exercise of their reasoning 

 powers, which tell them that the once feared biped on the bank will do them no harm, 

 but in all probability, will be the means of indulging their appetite with favorite food. 



The Carp is one of the fish that retains its life for a lengthened period even when 



CARP. Cyprlaus carpio. 



BARBEL. Qyprlaus barbut 



removed from the water ; and if carefully packed in wet moss so as to allow a free 

 circulation of air, will survive even for weeks. Anglers never seem sure of the Carp 

 taking plenty on one day and none at all for a week afterwards, the fish having been 

 aroused to a sense of their danger, and declining to meddle with anything that looks 

 as if it might hide a hook. Even the net, that is so effectual with most fish, is often 

 useless against the ready wiles of the Carp, which will sometimes bury itself in the 

 mud as the ground line approaches, so as to allow the net to pass over it ; or, if the 

 ground be too hard for such a manoeuvre, will shoot boldly from the bottom of the 

 water, leap over the upper edge of the net, and so escape into the water beyond. 



A fine Carp, say of six or seven pounds, is a truly handsome fish, its large shining 

 scales lying on its body in the most beautiful regularity, and gleaming with olive-brown 

 washed with gold. The abdomen is white, with a tinge of yellow. 



