Series Ostariophysi 389 
of Asia and Europe. The common Japanese dace (Leuciscus 
hakuensis) is often found out in the sea, but, in general, 
Cyprinide are only found in fresh waters. The genus of 
barbels (Barbus) contains many large species in Europe and 
Asia. In these the barbel is better developed than in most 
other genera, a character which seems to indicate a primitive 
organization. Barbus mosal of the mountains of India is said 
to reach a length of more than six feet and to have “scales 
as large as the palm of the hand.” 
The Carp and Goldfish—In the American and European Cy- 
prinide the dorsal fin is few-rayed, but in many Asiatic species 
it is longer, having 15 to 20 rays and is often preceded by a ser- 
rated spine like that of a catfish. Of the species with long 
dorsal the one most celebrated is the carp (Cyprinus carpio). 
This fish is a native of the rivers of China, where it has been 
domesticated for centuries. Nearly three hundred years ago it 
was brought to northern Europe, where it has multiplied in 
domestication and become naturalized in many streams and 
ponds. Of late years the cultivation of the carp has attracted 
much attention in America. It has been generally satisfactory 
where the nature of the fish is understood and where expecta- 
tions have not been too high. 
The carp is a dull and sluggish fish, preferring shaded, tran- 
quil, and weedy waters with muddy bottoms. Its food con- 
sists of water insects and other small animals, and vegetable 
matter, such as the leaves of aquatic plants. They can be 
fed on much the same things as pigs and chickens, and they 
bear much the same relation to trout and bass that pigs and 
chickens do to wild game and game-birds. The carp is a very 
hardy fish, grows rapidly, and has immense fecundity, 700,000 
eggs having been found in the ovaries of a single individual. 
It reaches sometimes a weight of 30 to 40 pounds. As a food- 
fish the carp cannot be said to hold a high place. It is tolerated 
in the absence of better fish. 
The carp, either native or in domestication, has many ene- 
mies. In America, catfish, sunfish, and pike prey upon its eggs 
or its young, as well as water-snakes, turtles, kingfishes, cray- 
fishes, and many other creatures which live about our ponds 
and in sluggish streams. In domestication numerous varieties 
