CHAPTER FOURTEEN 



Among aquarium societies there is a certain demand for competi- 

 tive exhibitions of goldfish varieties. The difficulties of making satis- 

 factory awards are considerable, due in part to varying ideas as to what 

 constitutes standards of perfection. To reduce this difficulty to a mini- 

 mum the Aquarium Society of Philadelphia instituted a series of con- 

 ferences of leading fanciers in order to establish a satisfactory and uni- 

 form scale of standards. The diagrams shown herewith represent a 

 composite of the best ideas obtainable. The majority of leading societies 

 have adopted them as a whole. 



The "point system" of judging, as it is called, is too slow and 

 laborious for use on an entire large exhibition. The two or three best 

 fish, selected on general appearances, should be set aside from the others 

 and judged independently by three judges, on points. The totals are then 

 averaged and awards made. 



In those classes requiring double anal fins the fish is penalized three 

 points for having only one. 



In the Fringetail classes the tails must be fully divided to receive 

 consideration. 



The Longtail or Fringetail group is divided into two classes, the 

 Veiltail and the Ribbontail. These are also called "broad-tail" and 

 "swallow-tail" or "cut-out-tail." In the Veiltail the centre of each tail 

 is indented or forked less than one-third of its total length. The swallow- 

 tail is cut in to one-third or more. The diagram on page 196 will show 

 this. 



The making of these classes has caused some confusion. The author 

 believes that fishes of these two types and those on the difficult dividing 

 line should all take their chances together. The division was undoubtedly 

 made as an expediency in order to make more awards and thereby please 

 as many people as possible. So far as can be determined, no such divisions 

 of fin shape have ever been recognized in China or Japan, and the same 

 was true here until the period of 1910-12, when it became a conspicuous 



