greatly enlarged lins in some of tiic varieties is correlated with a degeneiatinn (if the muscular svstem 

 through disuse, owing to "their continued restraint in small aquaria for many geneiations." The 

 teehle and almost totally deficient swimming powers of certain varieties are said to have been "jnir- 

 posely cultivated by oriental fish fanciers," and the energy that wduld have been expended "in the 

 pniductiiin id' mutiun id' the budy in the water has reacted in other \\a\s upnn their organization, 

 and especially upon the growth of the lins." In the elaboration of this theory. Ryder suggested that 

 the enlarged fins may serve as supplemental respiratory organs, the caud.il in particular being verv 

 richly supplied with capillaries and nften presenting an enormous surface fur the possible exchange 

 of gases: and he asked whether this hypertrophy of the fins may n(»t have "been developed partially 

 in physiological response to artiticial cnnditinns of respiration * * * j,^ ii,^. restricted and badlv 

 aerated tanks and a(|uaria in which they have been bred for centuries." 



It is not necessary to discuss the foregoing views, but it should be remarked that the statements 

 regarding the breeding of Japanese goldfish in badly aerated or restricted aquaria and tanks are 

 entirely enoneous, and any theory based on such an unwarranted assumption is untenable, for, as will 

 hereafter be seen, the Japanese have never raised goldfish under such cimditions, and the salient feat- 

 ures of the \ariiius kinds of ]ionds in which they ha\e for generations been hatching, rearing, and 

 holding their fish are the ample space afforded and the most perfect oxygenation of the water. 



A number of the minor and some of the major \arieties of goldfish now grown in America and 

 Europe and called "Japanese" are unknown lo the Japanese breeders, and were either of Chinese origin 

 or were ])roduced under their new occidental environment, either with or without Japanese stock. 

 While many ephemeral freaks are necessarily produced in the course of the culture operations, the 

 only \arieties that are established and standard are those herein described. 



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