about a hundred or a few more years ago, when there were no carps in England, as may seem to be affirmed by Sir Richard Baker, in whose chronicle you may find these

verses.

Hops and turkies, carps and beer,
Came into England all in a year.1

And doubtless, as of sea-fish the herring dies soonest out of the water, and of fresh-water-fish the trout, so, except the eel, the carp endures most hardness, and lives longest out of his own proper element: 2 and, therefore, the report of the carp's being brought out of a foreign country into this nation, is the more probable.

And

Carps and loaches are observed to breed several months in one year, which pikes and most other fish do not. this is partly proved by tame and wild rabbits, as also by some ducks, which will lay eggs nine of the twelve months; and yet there be other ducks that lay not longer than about one month. And it is the rather to be believed, because you shall scarce or never take a male-carp without a melt,

1 From a passage in the book of Dame Juliana Berners, it appears that in her time there were carps, though but few, in England. It seems, therefore, that Mr. Mascall of Plumstead, did not first bring hither carps; but, as the curious in gardening do by exotic plants, he naturalised this species of fish; and that, about the era mentioned in the above distich, "Hops and turkeys," &c., which is elsewhere read thus :—

"Hops, reformation, turkeys, carps and beer,
Came into England all in one year.-H.

2 Carp live the longest out of the water of any fish. It is a common practice in Holland to keep them alive for three weeks or a month, by hanging them in a cool place, with wet moss in a net, and feeding them with bread steeped in milk; taking care to refresh the animal now and then by throwing fresh water over the net in which it is suspended.—H.

3 Erroneous: Carp spawn only once a year, towards the end of May or the beginning of June, according to the temperature of the water. On this subject Ephemera, following Blaine, thinks, and with sufficient evidence, that carp do not always deposit the whole of their spawn; that is, do not complete the spawning process at one time he thinks it not improbable that they eject portions of ova only at several distinct periods, and that some weeks even intervene between the first and last ejectments. He asserts that none of our river fish deposit their ova at a single sitting, any more than hens or other female birds do. The ova are not all mature at the same time. Those near the vent are the first matured and expelled. -ED.

or a female without a roe or spawn, and for the most part very much; and especially all the summer season: and it is observed, that they breed more naturally in ponds than in running waters, if they breed there at all; and that those that live in rivers, are taken by men of the best palates to be much the better meat.

And it is observed, that in some ponds carps will not breed,' especially in cold ponds; but where they will breed, they breed innumerably: Aristotle and Pliny say, six times in a year, if there be no pikes nor perch to devour their spawn, when it is cast upon grass, or flags, or weeds, where it lies ten or twelve days before it be enlivened.

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The carp, if he have water-room and good feed, will grow to a very great bigness and length; I have heard, to be much above a yard long. 'Tis said, by Jovius who hath writ of fishes, that in the lake Lurian in Italy, carps have thriven to be more than fifty pounds weight; which is the more probable, for as the bear is conceived and born suddenly, and being born is but short-lived, so, on the contrary, the elephant is said to be two years in his dam's belly, some think he is ten years in it, and being born grows in bigness twenty years; and 'tis observed too that he lives to the age of a hundred years. And 'tis also observed, that the crocodile is very long-lived, and more than that, that

1 They do not breed in the long canal in Hampton Court Park, though they grow to a large size in it. I caught two there, which weighed thirtytwo pounds. In places where they breed freely, they seldom grow to a large size.-ED.

2 It has been supposed by some that carp will thrive in the same ponds with pike, but there is abundant evidence to the contrary.-ED.

3 The widow of the late Mr. David Garrick told me, that in her native country, Germany, she had seen the head of a carp served up at table, big enough to fill a large dish.-H. There is the skin of one in the British Museum, which I sent there, which weighed when alive twenty-six pounds. It was caught, out of condition, at Pain's Hill, near Cobham. Pennant mentions a carp of twenty pounds; and in the park of Mr. Ladbroke, of Gatton, a brace was taken which weighed thirty-five pounds. But in general carp in our rivers very rarely reach the weight of six pounds, and as seldom twelve pounds in our ponds. In warmer climates (France, Holland, and Germany) they grow to twenty, thirty, or forty pounds.-ED. 4 Paulus Jovius, an Italian historian, of very doubtful authority; he lived in the 16th century, and wrote a small tract, "De Romanis Piscibus." He died at Florence, 1552.-H.

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all that long life he thrives in bigness: and so I think some carps do, especially in some places; though I never saw one above twenty-three inches, which was a great and goodly fish; but have been assured there are of a far greater size, and in England too.

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Now, as the increase of carps is wonderful for their number, so there is not a reason found out, I think by any, why they should breed in some ponds, and not in others, of the same nature for soil and all other circumstances. And as their breeding, so are their decays also very mysterious: I have both read it, and been told by a gentleman of tried honesty, that he has known sixty or more large carps put into several ponds near to a house, where by reason of the stakes in the ponds, and the owner's constant being near to them, it was impossible they should be stolen away from him and that when he has, after three or four years, emptied the pond, and expected an increase from them by breeding young ones,-for that they might do so, he had, as the rule is, put in three melters for one spawner,—he has, I say, after three or four years, found neither a young nor old carp remaining. And the like I have known of one that has almost watched the pond, and at a like distance of time, at the fishing of a pond, found of seventy or eighty large carps not above five or six: and that he had forborne longer to fish the said pond, but that he saw in a hot day in summer, a large carp swim near the top of the water with a frog upon his head; and that he upon that occasion caused his pond to be let dry: and I say, of seventy or eighty carps, only found five or six in the said pond, and those very sick and lean, and with every one a frog sticking so fast on the

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1 The author of the "Angler's Sure Guide" says, that he has taken carp above twenty-six inches long, in rivers; and adds, that they are often seen in England above thirty inches long.-H. The usual length is from twelve to sixteen inches.-ED.

2 The same has been said of the Pike in ponds (see p. 194), and, if credible, may hold good of other fish. Water-rats and Newts also do their part, although the latter have been supposed to feed only on Tadpoles, crustacea, and worms. But the finny tribe have even more formidable enemies among the aquatic carnivora, especially Water-beetles and their larvæ. The Dyticide are all very voracious, particularly the DYTICUS MARGINALIS, a large beetle about an inch long, which swims in the manner of a frog, and is very destructive to young fish. Burmeister mentions one

head of the said carps, that the frog would not be got off without extreme force or killing. And the gentleman that

which devoured two frogs in the space of forty hours, and was found, on dissection, to have digested them. It feeds greedily on spawn, and we have seen one covered with it. The larva of this Dyticus, which is variously called the Water

the water, suspended from the surface by its tail, quite motionless, till its prey is within reach, when by a sudden spring it seizes it in an instant, and does not quit its hold till throughly gorged. Baker kept one in a jar, which destroyed twenty tadpoles in a day, sucking them till they were exhausted; it killed a Tench three inches long in about a minute; and after some hesitation, attacked and killed a Newt four inches long. The NOTONECTA, or Boat-fly, alias Water-boatman, "that topsy-turvy imp of darkness," is furnished with a lance which it strikes into its prey, and speedily kills it, apparently from some poisonous property, as it acts on human flesh like the sting of a wasp. The NEPA CINEREA, or Waterscorpion, commonly known as the Toe-biter, will spear and kill the stickleback of ten or fifteen spines, although he avoids the more formidable, or perhaps less delectable species of three spines. Kirby says, that one of these Water-scorpions put into a basin with three tadpoles, killed them all in a very short time; and it is known that they will kill Newts. The HYDROPHILUS PICEUS, or Sleepy Beetle, (the larva of which the French call the Assassin,) a very large species generally found in carp ponds, is in both its states nearly as destructive as the Dyticus, although the latter, scarcely half its size, will kill it and suck out its inside, leaving it apparently whole. The Libellulida are also very destructive, particularly the DRAGONFLY in its larva state. Many more of these Water-cannibals might be adduced, were there space. But we cannot refrain from introducing the WATER-SPIDER, which spins its filmy web at some distance from the surface of ponds, and very ingeniously fixes a canopy of air about it; this animal in its turn preys, there is little doubt, on the young of the fishdestroying insects, and so brings about nature's balance. There are besides multitudes of fleas and minute animalcula which work the same end, by infesting the larger insects. We may say with the poet :

"Great fleas have little fleas and lesser fleas to bite 'em,
And these fleas have smaller fleas, and so ad infinitum."

The curious reader will do well to pursue his own researches on these subjects in works of entomology. Baker, the microscopist, was among the first in this country to call attention to the havoc committed by water

did affirm this to me, told me he saw it; and did declare his belief to be, and I also believe the same, that he thought the other carps that were so strangely lost, were so killed by frogs, and then devoured.

And a person of honour now living, in Worcestershire,1 assured me he had seen a necklace, or collar of tadpoles, hang like a chain or necklace of beads about a pike's neck, and to kill him: whether it were for meat or malice, must be to me a question.

But I am fallen into this discourse by accident; of which I might say more, but it has proved longer than I intended, and possibly may not to you be considerable: I shall therefore give you three or four more short observations of the carp, and then fall upon some directions how you shall fish for him.

The age of carps is by Sir Francis Bacon, in his "History of Life and Death," observed to be but ten years, yet others think they live longer. Gesner says, a carp has been known to live in the Palatinate above a hundred years: but most

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insects, in his interesting chapter on Fresh-water Squillæ, published 1764, in his 'Employment for the Microscope.' Since then the subject has occasionally called forth some notice from naturalists, but it is only now attracting the attention it deserves. In consequence of the facility of studying the habits of these creatures in glass aquariums, in a sittingroom, a trade has sprung up in it, and most of the water-insects, as well as newts, toads, and small fresh-water fish of all kinds, are sold by Mr. Leach, near Drury-Lane Theatre.

The reader will find scientific information on the subject in Westwood's 'Classification of Insects,' 2 vols. 8vo. (Bohn), price 18s. ; and a pleasant paper headed 'Water Devils,' and illustrated with engravings, in 'The Episodes of Insect Life,' a book which cannot be too much recommended-H. G.B.

1 Mr. Fr. Ru.-This memorandum occurs for the first time on the margin of the fifth edition (published 1676). It refers no doubt to Mr. Francis Rufford, of Sapy, Worcestershire, who died, at the age of 82, about 1678.-N.

2 Buffon mentions that he had seen in the fosses of the Ponchartrain, Carp which were known to be of the age of one hundred and fifty years; and Sir James Smith says (in his Tour on the Continent, 1793'), "that at the Prince of Condé's seat at Chantilly, there were immense shoals of very large carp, 'silvered o'er with age,' like silver fish, and perfectly tame, so that when any passengers approached their watery habitation, they use to come to the shore in such numbers as to heave each other out of the water, begging for bread, of which a quantity was always kept at hand on purpose to feed them. They would even allow themselves to be handled." In the preface to the third edition, he says, "they were