738 PISCES—CARP 
enemies of the deep, yet the tropic bird and the albatross are forever upon 
he wing to seize it. Thus pursued in either element, it sometimes seeks 
1efuge 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 

PouisH Prussia is the chief seat of the carp; they abound in the rivers 
and lakes of that country, particularly in the Frisch and Curischhaff, where 
tney 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 se 
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 for. 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 are 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. 

1 Cyprinus carpio, Lin. The genus Cyprinus has three flat rays in the bronchiz. mem- 
brane; tongue and palate smooth; dorsal fin long; second ray of the dorsal and anal fin 
spinous and dentated. 
