AQUARIUM. 



i45 



yet survived much beyond the size of 

 fry. In these cases the upper lobes of 

 the tail are in duplicate and an extra 

 fold is noticed in the lower lobes mak- 

 ing them triplicate. The diagram 

 would be a combination of the Fig. 5 

 and 8. None have been sufficiently 

 perfect in development to have all the 

 lobes separated to the base of the tail, 

 but selection of those fishes which ex- 

 hibit these tendencies and their further 

 propagation would ultimately produce 

 triple-tailed goldfishes. Such a com- 

 plicated structure, however, would not 

 add to the beauty of the fishes and 

 would appear like a conglomerate 

 tangle of tails, to carry which would 

 be impossible and so weaken the fry 

 as to cause their deaths from ex- 

 haustion. 



In some of the breeds the dorsal 

 (back) fin has been entirely eliminat- 

 ed and the scales are evenly imbricated 

 over the back and sides ; in others the 

 anal fins are absent, while with some 

 breeds there is no evidence of either 

 dorsal or anal fins. These fishes main- 

 tain their balance with the paired fins, 

 the pectorals and ventrals, and either 

 have long and very narrow double tails 

 or have the double tail expanded as 

 shown in Fig. 5 which also by its flap- 

 ping motion aids in swimming. 



In conclusion it may be well to state 

 that only a very small proportion of 

 the voung exhibit the desired tail 

 forms in perfection, not over five per 

 cent, of those that survive to an age 

 of three or four months, and these 

 should be kept in large containers with 

 abundant plant life and sufficient food, 

 preferably the natural minute pond 

 life consisting of the crustaceans, 

 daphnia. cyclops, polyphemus and 

 cypris of which more will be stated 

 in a later paper. 



Establishment of More Aquarium 

 Societies. 



BY DR. HERMAN BURGIN, PRESIDENT OF 

 THE PHILADELPHIA AQUARIUM SOCIETY. 



As far as is known to the writer 

 there are but two aquarium societies 

 in the eastern section of the United 

 States. One is located in Philadel- 

 phia, the other in Jersey City, New 



Jersey. The writer has no knowledge 

 of the existence of any similar socie- 

 ties anywhere else in this great coun- 

 try. In contrast to this condition, al- 

 most all of the Continental European 

 cities have one or more. For instance, 

 Berlin and its suburbs support four — 

 the "Verband der Aquarien und Ter- 

 rarien Freunde," the 'Verein fuer 

 Aquarien Freunde," the "Nymphae 

 Alba," the "Triton" and "Elodea," 

 whilst Hamburg has two — the "Sal- 

 vinia" and the "Humboldt." 



Aquarium societies are decidedly 

 the best means for acquiring and dis- 

 seminating reliable information relative 

 to the Aquarium and its inhabitants, 

 and assist by the common interchange 

 of experiences in removing uncertain- 

 ties and the annoying difficulties that 

 constantly confront even the most ex- 

 pert fancier as well as the tyro. 



In order to encourage lovers of the 

 aquarium to form such societies, it 

 would be a pleasure to the officers of 

 the Philadelphia Aquarium Society to 

 bring before those interested the pro- 

 cedure, Constitution, By-Laws and 

 such other practical points that have 

 led to the marked success of our, the 

 parent society. 



The expense of maintenance is but 

 trifling. With an entrance fee of one 

 dollar and annual dues of one dollar 

 and twenty cents, paid monthly, this 

 society has had for the past ten years 

 an average membership of nearly two 

 hundred ; has met all its obligations, 

 acquired necessary paraphernalia and 

 has in addition a moderate invested 

 fund to meet extraordinary expenses. 

 The meetings for exhibitions of fishes, 

 plants and other pertinent matters are 

 held monthly, excepting June, July and 

 August. Formal subjects for discus- 

 sion are presented in advance of the 

 meetings ; but the "letter-box for in- 

 formation," which is open to everyone 

 interested, often brings out more dis- 

 cussions than the set subject for the 

 evening. 



Blue, red and white ribbons repre- 

 senting first, second and third prizes, 

 and a consolation ribbon when no com- 

 petition exists, are awarded for the 

 finest exhibits. 



Annually two diplomas of honor are 



