THE GEKMAN CARP IN THE UNITED STATES. 551 



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 eifort. 

 One who has occasion to search for carp comes to ])e able to recognize 

 them almost "svithout fail just by the wa}' the}" make this sudden break 

 and dash away, even if the water is so roil}^ — 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 usuall}' 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 oft' 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 {Amia calva) and some of the bass, which one will sometimes 

 start up singlv 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 wa}^ will have no trouble guessing the authors, if, indeed, 

 it occurs to him to attribute so much commotion to fish at all. 



This refers to carp in the open. In ponds the}" 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 the}^ are better 

 fed and the struggle for existence is greath" reduced — their common 

 enemies are absent, so that the}" 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 "cunning." For this reason their capture 

 is difficult. The}' 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 docs not drag 

 closely on the bottom they are quick to find the opening, while large 

 numbers often escape by jumping out of water and clearing the cork 

 line. Day speaks of this characteristic of the carp in his work on the 



