THE GERMAN CARP IN THE UNITED STATES. ap 
ability for quick and powerful movement, for, let anything give the 
fish the least fright, there is a twirl, a splash, and it is gone. It is, 
in fact, a strong and rapid swimmer when it puts forth the effort. 
One who has occasion to search for carp comes to be able to recognize 
them almost without fail just by the way they make this sudden break 
and dash away, evenif the water is so roily—as is often the case—that 
the fish can not be seen at all. If the water is more than a foot or so 
in depth, there is usually not a splash, although there is an audible 
sound, a sort of dull thud; the water boils up where the fish started 
with the first strong lash of its tail, and a disturbance of the water 
due to the rapid passage of the fleeing fish underneath shows the course 
as it dashes away. This it usually does in an almost straight line— 
that is, it does not zigzag about. If the water is clear, a glimpse of 
the fish may be caught; or, if among rushes or cat-tail flags, the move- 
ment of these indicates the line of retreat. If a considerable school 
of large carp is startled, and they go off in this way through the 
rushes, the whole surrounding growth will wave and rattle as if a 
sudden and erratic wind had struck it, the reeds twisting and bending 
in all directions at once. There are other fish, such as the fresh-water 
dog-fish (Ama calva) and some of the bass, which one will sometimes 
start up singly here and there among the rushes, and which will dart 
suddenly away; but anyone who ever chances to startle a school of 
carp in this way will have no trouble guessing the authors, if, indeed, 
it oecurs to him to attribute so much commotion to fish at all. 
This refers to carp intheopen. In ponds they become easily tamed, 
learn to come to a certain spot to be fed, and, it is said, will even take 
food from the hand. This tameness in small ponds probably depends 
not only upon the familiarity the fish come to have with the surround- 
ings and with people, but as well upon the fact that they are better 
fed and the struggle for existence is greatly reduced—their common 
enemies are absent, so that they get less exercise and tend to become 
more sluggish in temperament. To prevent this, it is the custom 
of European fish culturists to introduce into their ponds certain pre- 
daceous fish, such as pike, which keep the carp active and in good 
condition. 
That carp are wary is well known to fishermen, who speak of them 
as ‘‘ wise,” ‘* knowing,” and ‘‘eunning.” For this reason their capture 
is difficult. They usually avoid the ordinary form of set net, so that 
comparatively few are taken in fykes, traps, or pounds. Seines, once 
around them, are difficult to evade, and it is in this way that they are 
taken for the most part. But if a seine becomes torn or does not drag 
closely on the bottom they are quick to find the opening, while large 
numbers often escape by jumping out ef water and clearing the cork 
line. Day speaks of this characteristic of the carp in his work on the 
