604 CAROB-TREE. 
ferocity. The bear of the Alps is a formidable 
and dangerous animal to the traveller. But the 
beasts that frequent the plains or fertile valleys 
find their food more easily, and when found it is 
less disputed. Their character being thus soft- 
ened down by the comforts of life, loses that high 
degree of courage and asperity which distin- 
guishes the mountain races. The carnivorous 
animals associate in troops only for the conve- 
nience of a combined attack; on the other hand, 
the herds of herbivorous animals seem intended 
only for their mutual defence. Placing the young 
ones in the centre, and the females in the rear, the 
males advance to the front, united in a phalanx, 
and presenting their horns to the enemy, repel his 
attack with vigour, and generally with success. 
CAROB- TREE, — botanically Ceratonia. A 
small evergreen tree, of the cassia division of the 
leguminous order. 
CARP. 
CAROTA. See Carror. 
CAROTID ARTERY. One of the principal 
arteries of the neck of man and of other red- 
blooded animals. The name carotid is formed 
from a Greek word which signifies ‘ to cause to 
sleep; and it alludes to the supposed power of 
a ligature round this artery to produce coma or 
sleepy stupor. 
CARP. A genus of soft-finned abdominal fish, 
which Cuvier makes the fourth family of the 
order. This is a very natural genus, containing 
very numerous species. It is easily distinguish- 
able by the small mouth, toothless jaws, and gills 
of three flat rays. The tongue and palate are 
smooth, but the gullet is admirably constructed 
for mastication, having large teeth attached to 
the inferior pharyngeal bones, which press the 
food between themselves and a gelatinous knob, 
It constitutes a genus of it- | connected with a bony plate that is united with 
self, and takes for its specific name siliqua. , It | the first vertebra, commonly called the carp’s 
| abounds in Spain, Italy, and the Levant, and was | tongue. 
They have but one dorsal fin, and the 
| introduced to Britain in the latter part of the | body is covered with scales, generally of large 
sixteenth century. 
Its stem usually grows to | size. 
They frequent fresh and quiet waters, 
the height of about fifteen feet; its leaves are | feeding on herbs, grains, and even mud, being, 
differently shaped from those of most other ever- | perhaps, the least carnivorous of the finny race. 
greens, and render it an agreeable variety among | Some of the species have a beard of small fleshy 
orange-trees, myrtles, and other greenhouse ar- | threads at the angles of the upper jaw. 
borescent plants; its flowers have a reddish-yel- 
The most noted of the species are the common 
low colour, and appear in September and Octo- | carp, C. Carpio, which, in many parts of the 
ber, but are seldom produced in Britain; and its | world, are bred in ponds, for the use of the table, 
pods are long, flat, horn-shaped, and brown-col- | and the goldfish, C. awratus, believed to be ori- 
oured, and contain a thick, mealy, sweetish-tasted | ginally from China, very commonly bred in ponds 
fecula. 
This plant appears to be the locust-tree | and vases as an ornament, on account of its 
of scripture, and is generally known in Spain | beautiful colours. 
In his memoir on American 
under the name of St. John’s bread. The shells of | Ichthyology, Dr. Mitchill enumerates four species 
the peds are supposed to be the husks alluded to | of carp, under the names of C. ¢eres, fresh-water 
in our Saviour’s beautiful parable of the prodi- | sucker; C. oblongus, chub of New York; C. chry- 
gal son; the seeds are imported from Arabia into | soleucas, New York shiner; and C. atronasus, 
Spain, under the name of algaroba beans; and | brook minnow. 
the pods of native growth are eaten in times of 
The common carp of Europe is esteemed very 
scarcity by the Spanish peasantry, and were the | highly for stocking ponds, being of quick growth, 
- principal food of the horses of the British cavalry | spawning thrice a-year. As the females do not 
during the peninsular war. 
commence breeding until eight or nine years old, 
CAROLINEA. A genus of magnificently- | it is necessary to keep up a supply of carp of that 
flowering, small, evergreen, tropical trees, of the | age by avoiding to destroy the females. 
silk-cotton-tree tribe. 
The pro- 
The showy species, C. in- | portion of males to be preserved is four for every 
signis, was introduced from the West Indies in | twelve females. 
Under common circumstances, 
1796; and is one of the most gorgeous stove-| the carp grows two or three inches in length in 
plants in Britain. 
It attains a height of from |a year; but, where the ponds are exceedingly 
twenty to thirty feet; its leaves, except for be- | well supplied with food, they have been known 
-Ing evergreen, are very similar to those of the | to grow from five to eighteen inches in the same 
horse chestnut -tree ; its flowers have a rich | time. They thrive best in ponds having clayey 
crimson colour, and measure about a foot in dia- | or marly sides, and well provided with aquatic 
meter; and the stamens of its flowers are as | vegetables. In order to furnish them with fresh 
numerous as those of a cactus, and form a mag- | vegetable food, it is usual to rake the sides of the 
nificent spreading feather. Three other species, | pond, left dry by evaporation, with an iron rake, 
the white, the less, and the princely, have been | and then to sow grass-seed, so that, when the 
introduced,—the last from the West Indies, and | pond is again filled up by the rains, there may 
the other two from tropical South America; all| be a growth of tender herbage for the fish. 
grow to about the same height as the showy spe- | Grains of various sorts, and garbage, are fre- 
cies; and the white carries white flowers, and | quently thrown into the pond, with a view to 
the other two carry flowers with mixtures of red | aid in fattening carp. A pond of one acre in ex- 
and yellow and green. tent is said to be sufficient to feed 300 carp of 
| is 
