176 FROGS, TOADS AND SOME FKESH-WATER FISH. 



surface of the head and the belly being white or light yellow. It attains 

 a length of two or more feet. The flesh, though of a somewhat muddy 

 flavour, is tender and sweet, and in many places, beinj? tlie only bone- 

 less variety of any size, is greatly esteemed. The Chinese name is 

 "Nien-yu." 



Another member of the cat-fish family (Pseudobagnis fulvidraco) is 

 also to be found in these waters. It, is much smaller than the wels, 

 has a shorter body and a large dorsal fin, with a stout barbed spine in 

 front. It is of a bright greeny yellow colour. The mouth is also 

 smaller. Otherwise the two species are very similar. Both are easily 

 caught on a line bated with a worm or piece of meat. 



All over the marshes of the flatlands a peculiar species of eel occurs. 

 It has nothing in the way of fins, and so resembles a snake in appearance. 

 Even the gills are not easily detected, being small and inconspicuous. 

 It is of a dark brown colour covered with vermiculated markings of an 

 even darker shade. It reaches a maximum length of three or four feet, 

 and is very good eating. It is particularly plentiful in the marshes of 

 the Wei Valley in Shensi. It is known to science as {Mono'ptcrns 

 javanensis). 



Another species of eel (Anguilla pchinensis) also occurs. It is like 

 the European eel, from which it differs but shghtly. 



One of the commonest fish of North China is the carp (Cyprinus 

 carpio), which figures so largely in Chinese and Japanese art, and also 

 on their menus. It occurs in the waters of all the rivers and lakes. This 

 fish often attains a large size. It is particularly abundant in the Yellow 

 River, where it is caught in large numbers in late autumn and kept in 

 specially reserved tanks. When winter comes on the fish are taken 

 out, and water poured over them. The water freezes, formin,g a coat 

 of ice over the fish, in which condition they are transported to all parts 

 of the northern provinces, and fetch good prices. The Chinese name 

 is Li-yu. 



The small carp (Cyprinus canassias) does not reach so great a size 

 as the foregoing species, but nevertheless attains a weight of two or 

 three pounds. This is the parent stock of the gold fish, from which the 

 Chinese and Japanese have bred such finny marvels as the lung-yu 

 (dragon-fish). The remarkable thing about these highly specialized fish 

 is the rapidity with which they will revert back to the parent form, when 

 left to propagate their kind in a natural state. On the other hand, 

 tlie wild form, under certain favourable conditions, will develop the 

 typical golden colour of the common gold fish. The wild form, though 



