83 
THE LIVING WORLD. 
The Gymnarchus Niloticus attains as much as six feet in length, and 
has a singular air-bladder, supposed to represent an imperfect lung. The 
Egyptians held in veneration the seyphophori , because they believed it to be 
one of the three fishes which, having each devoured a portion of the body of 
Osiris, defeated Isis in her attempt to gather together the scattered limbs of 
her husband. Osiris, having been slain by Typhon, was put into a chest and 
carried by the Nile out into the sea, where the body was mutilated by fishes. 
The soul of Osiris descended to the infernal regions, and continued its exist¬ 
ence under the name of Serapis. 
The Carp {Cyprinus carpio ) has been made celebrated by writers, inasmuch 
as it is a common and valued fish in Europe—especially in England. It varies 
in size from a foot to upward of three 
feet, and in weight has been known 
to reach one hundred pounds. It is 
noticeable likewise for its length of 
life, there being a well-authenticated 
story of its having reached the age 
of a century and a half. It is cul¬ 
tivated in Germany, Great Britain 
and America, and is probably least 
popular in our own country. It is 
carp ( Cyprinus carpio). of an olive brown, with a white belly. 
It should be eaten in the fall and 
early spring. It loves clear water, and as it grows very tame it is a great source 
of amusement to children. It seems to be true that frogs are destructive of 
the carp, upon whose head they will ensconce themselves, and like “ the old man 
of the mountain,” ride them to death, 
liar inhabitants of our aquariums. 
The orange-red color, variegated by 
black and brown, and the gleam of 
the scales make this carp quite a 
favorite pet. The fish was originally 
imported from China. 
The Piraya (Serrosalmo piraya ), 
while small in size, is beyond com¬ 
pare the most voracious fish that 
swims in any waters'. It is very 
numerous in the rivers of Brazil and Guiana, where vast shoals troop up 
and down the fresh-water courses like so many wolves ready to attack and devour 
every living thing. The front teeth are very sharp and set close, so that, as the 
jaws are powerful, it can bite out a piece of flesh with all the cleverness that 
might be shown by a knife. Authorities tell us that oxen are sometimes set 
upon and killed by these fishes before the animal can ford a stream of ten yards 
breadth. Travellers also claim that certain of the South American tribes place 
their dead in streams where the piraya are plentiful, in order that the flesh 
may be eaten from the corpse, leaving only the skeleton for sepulture. No 
one may venture in the waters where these voracious creatures abound, for no 
noise will serve to frighten them from attacking a human. The teeth are 
sometimes used to point and also sharpen arrows. 
The gold and the silver carp are fami- 
gudgeon (Gobio fluviatilis). 
