CARP, 
n 
Carp lately brouglit into England from Hamburgj and which, 
beyond doubt, is the Cyprimts carassius of Linnaeus.) These 
■weie put into two large bladders filled with water, which had 
been shifted once or twice upon the road. He presently cut 
open one of these Carps in Sir Hans’s presence, and shewed 
him the ovary, with its canal leading into the part called the 
cloaca. He then performed the operation of castration upon a 
second by opening the ovary, and filling up the wound with 
the scrapings of a hlack hat. The castrated Carp, being put 
into water with six live ones, seemed somewhat less brisk as 
to swimming than they. Then they were conveyed all together 
into a basin of Sir Hans’s garden, where the water is furnished 
from the neighbouring river, and he believed they were 
all alive when he wrote to M. Geotfroy. Mr. Tull, for that 
is the name of the person, promised Sir Hans Sloane a taste 
of such castrated fish the ensuing spring, assuring him that 
they as much excel all others in delicacy of relish as a capon 
does a cock, or a fat ox a bull. Mr. Tull has since castrated 
many thousands of fish for several of our nobility, to their 
entire satisfaction.” 
The food of the Carp is occasionally worms and insects, and 
it ^ has even been known to devour small fishes, althou<^h 
this is only recorded of young individuals, and under confine- 
ment. A Carp between five and six inches in length was 
seen by Mr. Gurney to devour three young Minnows, each 
about ^ an inch and a half in length, as they were confined 
with it in the same tank.— “Zoologist,” 1860 . But its more 
usual and ^ preferable sustenance is vegetable; and for the 
purpose of grinding this to a pulp it is provided with 
appropriate pharyngeal bones, answering in some degree to 
Uiose which are found in the gullet of the Wrasses; and it 
is, as we have seen, the opinion of Professor Owen that the 
vegetable food is a second time subjected to their grinding 
action, in the same manner as we have hazarded the opinion 
that it is the case with the other family. From some 
unaccountable variation of appetite, the endeavour to catch 
this fish with angling is exceedingly uncertain; and in some 
others of its habits it is believed to possess a large degree 
of wisdom, as well in the manner by which it escapes from 
