738 PISCES— CARP. 



enemies of the deep, yet the tropic bird and the albatross are forever upon 

 the wing to seize it. Thus pursued in either element, it sometimes seeks 

 refuge with a new enemy ; and it is not unfrequent for whole shoals of them 

 to fall on shipboard, where they furnish man with an object of useless 

 curiosity. 



THE CARP.i 



Polish Prussia is the chief seat of the carp; they abound in the rivers 

 and lakes of that country, particularly in the Frisch and CurischhafT, where 

 they are taken of a vast size. They are there a great article of commerce, 

 and sent in well boats to Sweden and Russia. The merchants purchase 

 them out of the waters of the noblesse of the country, who draw a good 

 revenue from this article. Neither are there wanting, among the English 

 gentry, instances of some who make good profits of their ponds. 



The carp is a prodigious breeder; its quantity of roe has been found so 

 great that, when taken out and weighed against the fish itself,, the former 

 has been found to preponderate. From the spawn of this fish caviar is 

 made for the Jews, who hold the sturgeon in abhorrence. 



These fish are extremely cunning, and on that account are by some styled 

 the river fox. They will sometimes leap over the nets, and escape that 

 way ; at others, will immerse themselves so deep in the mud, as to let the 

 net pass over them. They a^e also very shy of taking a bait; yet at the 

 spawning time they are so simple as to suffer themselves to be tickled and 

 caught by any body that will attempt it. It is so tenacious of life that it 

 may be kept alive for a fortnight in wet straw or moss. » 



This fish is apt to mix its milt with the roe of other fish, from which is 

 produced a spurious breed; we have seen the offspring of the carp and 

 tench, which bore the greatest resemblance to the first ; we have also heard 

 of the same mixture between the carp and bream. 



' Cijprimts carpio, Lin. The genus Cifprinus has three flat rays in the bronchial mem- 

 brane ; tongue and palate smooth ; dorsal fin long ; second ray of the dorcal and anal fin 

 spinous and dentated. 



