Page:British Reptiles, Amphibians, and Fresh-water Fishes.djvu/97

EEL AND COMMON CARP Reed-Warbler exclaims,'I can't stand that person; he's so like the Adder, who ate my little sister last year when she fell to the ground as she was learning to fly. He has the same offensive manners, and is just as slippery.'"

True the Eel is slippery, as has already been stated, but to compare it with the Adder in this respect is an injustice to the latter, though it is more than probable the Snake in question is capable of devouring Mrs. Reed- Warbler's "little sister."

Common Carp.—Cyprinus carpio (Fig. 41). Whilst there are three species of Carp on the British list, two species—the Common Carp and the well-known Goldfish (Carassius auratus)—have been introduced from China, and the third—the Crucian Carp (Carassius vulgaris)—is of European origin, but probably is not entitled to inclusion in our own native fauna. As my own family used to have the fishing rights in the old pool belonging to Sopwell Nunnery, I have a personal interest for mentioning that the first reference to the Carp as a British 79