478 
Fishes. 
England about three hundred years ago. They are very 
tenacious of life, and at the inns in Holland are often 
kept alive a month or six weeks, by being fed with 
bread and milk, and laid on wet moss in a net, which is 
hung from the ceiling in an airy place. The moss is kept 
moist, and water is thrown over the fish twice a day. 
Carp is always considered a delicacy for the table, 
especially when stewed in port wine ; and it appears to 
have been long held in high estimation on that account, 
as we find, from the privy purse expenses of Henry 
VIII., that the bluff king was exceedingly fond of 
Carp. 
THE TENCH, (Cyprinus tinea,) 
Like the carp, is remarkably tenacious of life. Its body 
is thick and short, and seldom exceeds twelve inches in 
length, or four pounds in weight. The eyes are red; 
the back, dorsal, and ventral fins dusky ; the head, sides, 
and abdomen of a greenish hue, mixed with gold ; and 
the tail very broad. The Tench delights in still water, 
in the muddy parts of ponds, where it is the most secure 
from the voracious ramblings and fierce attacks of the 
tyrant pike, and from the hook of the angler; here it 
lives nearly motionless, lurking beneath flags, reeds, and 
weeds. This inactive life has enabled some individuals 
