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almost without smell when it is newly taken 
out ot the ground. I he roots of both plants 
are esteemed cordial and diuretic, and the 
long cyperus is much used by perfumers 
and glovers. 
3. The papyrus is famous both in antient 
and modern history, and a very minute de- 
scription of it is given by Pliny. It grows m 
the lakes of Ethiopia and Egypt. It was 
very early in use as paper, IN uni a having 
left a number of books written on paypyius. 
The paper was made from the pellicle be- 
tween the pith and the bark. Boats were also 
made of the whole plant together, a piece of 
acacia wood being used as a keel. It was 
also used for cordage. Clips, moulds, &c. 
were made of the lower part. 
GYP ILEA, or gowrie, in zoology, a genus 
of insects belonging to the order of veimes 
testacea. It is an animal ol the limax 01 
snail kind ; the shell is one involuted, subo- 
vated, obtuse, smooth valve. The aperture 
on each side is linear, longitudinal, and tooth- 
ed There are 44 species, distinguished by 
the form of their shells. This genus is called 
cypraea, and venerea, from its being pecu- 
liarly dedicated to Venus ; who is said to have 
endowed a shell of this genus with the pow- 
ers of a remora, so as to impede the course of 
the ship which was sent by Periander, tyrant 
of Corinth, with orders to destroy the young 
nobility of Corcyra. See PI. Na. Hist. iig. 157. 
GYl’RESS. See Cuprf.ssus. 
CYPRINUS, in ichthyology, a genus of 
fishes belonging to the order of abdominales. 
The mouth is toothless; there are three rays 
in the gills ; the body is smooth and white, 
and the belly-fins have frequently nine rays. 
There are 31 species, principally distinguished 
by the number of rays in the vent-fin. The 
most remarkable are: 
L The carpio, or carp. This was intro- 
duced into England about the year 1514, by 
Leonard Maschal, to whom we are also in- 
debted for that excellent apple the pepm. 
Russia wants these fish at this day. Sweden 
has them only in the ponds of people of fa- 
shion. Thev chiefly abound in the rivers 
and lakes of Polish Prussia, where they are 
sometimes 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 tountry, who draw a 
good revenue from this article. 
Carp are very long lived. Gesner brings 
an instance of one that was near 1 00 years 
old. They grow also to a very great size. 
Some authors speak of carp weighing 200 
pounds, and five feet in length. The carp 
is a prodigious breeder ; its quantity of 
roe has been sometimes found so great, that 
when taken out and weighed against the fish 
: . itself, the former has been found to prepon- 
derate. From the spawn of this fish, caviare 
is made for the Jews, who hold the sturgeon 
in abhorrence. The carp is extremely cun- 
tiinc, and on that account is sometimes styled 
the river-fox. Fhey will sometimes leap 
over the nets, and escape that way ; at other 
times they will immerse themselves so deep 
in the mud as to let the net pass over them. 
They are also very shy in taking a bait ; yet 
at the spawning-time they are so simple, as to 
suffer themselves to be tickled, handled, and 
caught, by any body that will attempt it. 
Tim fish is apt to mix its milt with the roe of 
other fish, from which is produced a spurious 
breed, as has been observed in the offspring 
of the carp and tench, which bore the greatest 
resemblance to the first. The same has also 
been observed of the carp and bream. 
In Polish Prussia, and many other parts of 
Germany, tiie sale of carp constitutes a part 
of the revenue of the nobility and gentry, so 
that the proper management of that lish is 
reduced to a kind of system, founded on the 
experience of several generations. Ot the 
methods there practised, we have an account 
in the Philosophical Transactions for 1771, 
communicated by Mr. J. Reinhold I orster ; 
who says he lias seen carp treated and main- 
tained according to those methods, “ above 
a yard long, and of 25 pounds weight;” but 
had no opportunity of ascertaining their age. 
“ In the pond, however, at Gharlottenburg, 
(he adds,) a palace belonging to the king of 
Prussia, 1 saw more than two or three hundred 
carp, between two and three feet long ; and I 
was told by the keeper they were between 50 
and 60 years standing. They were tame, and 
came to the shore in order to be fed.” Mr. 
Forster, in this paper, also vouches for a 
most extraordinary circumstance, namely, 
the possibility of the carp’s not only living tor 
a considerable time out of water, but ot its 
growing fat in its new element. The author 
has seen the experiment successfully tried, 
and attended to the whole process, in a noble- 
man’s house, where he then resided, in the 
principality of Anhalt-Dissau. The fish be- 
ing taken out of the water, is wrapped up in 
a large quantity of wet moss, spread on a 
piece of net, which is then gathered into a 
purse, in such a manner however as to allow 
him room to breathe. The net is then plun- 
ged into water, and hung up to the ceiling of 
a cellar. At first the dipping must be repeat- 
ed every three or four hours, but afterwards 
the carp need only be plunged info the water 
once in about six or seven hours. Bread 
soaked in milk is first given him in small 
quantities. In a short time, the fish will bear 
more, and grow fat under this seemingly un- 
natural treatment. Mr. Daines Barrington, 
in a note, confirms a part of the preceding 
account, by mentioning the practice of a cer- 
tain fishmonger near Glare-market, who, in 
the winter, frequently exposed a bushel, at 
least, of carp and tench for sale, in the same 
dry vessel, for six or seven hours, many of 
which were not sold, and yet continued in 
health, though breathing nothing but air 
during the time above-mentioned, for several 
days successively. 
2. The barbus, or barbel, is so extremely 
coarse, as to be overlooked by the antients 
till the time of the poet Ausonius, who 
gives it no great character. They frequent 
the still and deep parts of rivers, and live in 
society, rooting like swine with their noses 
in the soft banks. It is so tame as to suffer 
itself to be taken by the hand ; and people 
have been known to take numbers by diving 
for them. In summer, they move about 
during night in search of food ; but towards 
autumn, and during winter, confine them- 
selves to the deepest holes. The barbel is 
about the length of three feet, and will weigh 
18 pounds; the belly white; the dorsal fin is 
armed with a remarkably strong spine, sharply 
serrated, with which it can inflict a very se- 
vere and dangerous wound on the incautious 
handler, and even do much damage to nets.. 
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They are the worst and coarsest fresh-water 
fish, and seldom eaten but by the poorer 
sort of people, who sometimes boil them with 
a bit ot bacon, to give them a relish. I heir 
roe is very noxious, affecting those who un- 
warily eat of it, with a nausea, vomiting, 
purging, and a slight swelling. 
3. The tinea, or tench, was treated with 
the same disrespect by the antients as the 
barbel ; but is now in much more repute. It 
has by some been called the physician of the 
fish; and its slime has been said to be of so 
healing a nature, that the wounded fishes ap- 
ply it as a styptic. In this country it is 
reckoned a wholesome and delicious food ; 
but the Germans are of a different opinion. 
Bv way of contempt, they call it the shoe- 
maker. Gesner even says, that it is insipid 
and unwholesome. It does not commonly 
exceed four or five pounds in weight, though 
some have been known to weigh 10 or 20. 
They love still waters, and are rarely found 
in rivers. They are very foolish, and easily 
caught. The tench is thick, and short in 
S ortion to its length. The colour of the 
is dusky ; the dorsal and ventral fins of 
the same colour ; the head, sides, and belly, 
of a greenish cast, most beautifully mixed 
with gold, which is in its greatest splendour 
when the fish is in the highest season. 
4. The gobio, or gudgeon, is generally found 
in gentle streams, and is of a small size, the 
largest not exceeding % lb. weight. They bite 
eagerly; and are assembled by raking the 
bed of the river : to this spot they immedi- 
ately crowd in shoals, in expectation of food. 
5. The brama, or bream, is an inhabitant 
of lakes, or the deep parts of still rivers. It 
is a fish that is very little esteemed, being 
extremely insipid. 
6. The rutilus, or roach, is a common fish, 
found in many of the still deep rivers of this 
country. They are gregarious, keeping in 
large shoals. It has never been known to ex- 
ceed five pounds in weight. 
7. The leuciscus, or dace, like the roach, is 
gregarious, haunts the same place, is a great 
breeder, very lively, and during summer is 
very fond of frolicking near the surface of the 
water. It never exceeds the weight of a 
pound and a half; the scales are smaller than 
those of the roach. 
8. The cephalus, or chub, is a very coarse 
fish, and full of bones. It, frequents the deep 
holes of rivers, and in summer commonly lies 
on the surface beneath the shade of some 
tree or bush. It is very timid, sinking to tire 
bottom on the least alarm, even at the pass- 
ing of a shadow; but it will soon resume 
its former situation. It feeds on worms, 
caterpillars, grasshoppers, and other coleop- 
terous insects that happen to fail into the 
water ; and it will even feed on cray-fish. It 
will rise to afiy. Some of this kind have been 
known to weigh eight or nine pounds. 
9. The alburnus, or bleak. These fish are 
very common in many of our rivers, and 
keep together in large shoals. At certain 
seasons they stem to be. in great agonies; 
they tumble about near the surface of the 
water, and are incapable of swimming far 
from the place: but in about two, hours 
they recover and disappear. Fish thus 
affected, the Thames fishermen call mad. 
bleaks. They seem to be troubled with a 
species of gordius, or hair-worm, which tor- 
ments them so, that they rise to the surface 
