OR, THE HOME-CULTURE OF FRESH-WATER PLANTS. 
and capable of inspiring many kinds of interest which 
we should not have dreamt of without some previous 
knowledge concerning them. I shall therefore make 
no apology for appending a brief historical notice to 
each of the fish about to be described. 
The Carp is a desirable fish for the Aquarium— 
perhaps even more so than the Perch, as he is not 
so voracious; indeed, he seldom attacks fish, living 
almost entirely upon small aquatic insects or 
worms, etc. The common Carp, Cyprinus carpio , 
was noticed by both Aristotle and Pliny, but was 
not held in so much estimation by the ancients 
as by the moderns, especially during the middle 
ages. 
The Carp declines in size when removed from the 
warmer regions of the temperate zones; but he is 
“ cultivated ” as a table delicacy with much success 
both in Austria and Prussia, where Carp ponds 
form an essential feature in rustic economy. An 
acre of water stored with Carp will, in fact, let for 
as much as an acre of the richest land. In central 
Europe, where it is difficult, indeed nearly im¬ 
possible, to obtain sea fish, those of the fresh-water 
are very highly prized, and their growth and 
various methods of fattening them have been studied 
with much success. 
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