THE COMMON CARP. 105 



or of the pectorals. They form the malacopteryglan 

 order of naturalists, of which our first species is 



\ 



This fish, like the preceding, is asserted to have 

 been introduced into England by Leonard Mascal, 

 a gentleman of Sussex, early in the 1 6th century ; 

 and in good company, if there is truth in the old 

 distich, 



Turkies, carps, hops, pickerell, and beer, 

 Came into England all in one year. 



The carp is, however, mentioned as a dayntous 

 fysshe though scarce, by Juliana Barnes, in the 

 year 1496. It attains to a prodigious size in the 

 waters of the south of Europe, and in the Lake of 

 Como is said sometimes to weigh 200 pounds. 

 The largest of which we have any precise ac- 

 count is that mentioned by Bloch. It was taken 



* Cyprinus cai-pio, Linn. 

 K 



