(•AUr-I'ISIIKS. 



■1!) 



roteiition in ii cartiliif;iiious form of a row of four bii sal 

 l)i)ii('s" — .1 |)i)int w'liicli rcmiiids iis of more primitive 

 types (the (iiiiuii(ls) — the innermost of which even pos- 

 sesses the same form as in Aniiii ami Li-ji/ilosfrKs. lie- 

 hind, from the sym]>iiysis, each pcl\ ic hone pi'ojeets on 

 tiie inner side of flu; insertion of tiie ventral fin in a 

 process, directed straiijht back or curvinir out\var<l to 

 the side and serxing as a point of attachment IVtr a 

 niusele coming from the base of the anal hn. The tiiret' 

 branch iostegal i-ays an; as a rule strong, of a liroad, 

 ensiform shape; :uk1 the urohyoid bone, a triangular, 

 horizontal disk with the point turned forward and with 

 a strong and high osseous ridge, highest behind, on tiic 

 upper surface, reminds us most strongly of the coi'- 

 responding l)one in the Siluroids. 



The systematic arrangement of the (\prinoids in- 

 volves main' ditfieulties, partlv on account of the great 

 wealth of f>rms, partly in eonse(pU'nce of tlie more than 

 usually strong i)roelivity of these fishes for cross-breed- 

 ing between different species, even between species be- 

 longing to genera recognised as distinct. The <'yprinoids 

 have been named after the island of Cyprus, the ancient 

 sanctuai-y of Venus'', and this name has arisen from 

 observations of the fecundity and vivacity of these fishes 

 when spawning. They cro^\•d together in wild tumult 

 to spawn and mingle with each other, seeking tlie same 

 spawning-places and often having the same spawning- 

 seasons. Cross-breeds between the Caryj and the Crucian 

 Carp iia\-c long l)een known. Schonevelde (1624) speaks 

 of such hybrids in the Elbe", Marsigli (172(i) tells us 

 from the Danube that the fishermen of this river, who 

 called these forms Siitic]ikar2)fcn, explained them as 

 hybrids'', and according to Borneu (1781) the fishermen 

 of Silesia had made the same observation', namely that 

 these forms are ])roduced by cross-breeding between the 

 Carp and thr- Crucian Carp, when Crucian Carp are 

 incautiousl)- allowed to enter the culture-ponds for Carp, 

 and that for this reason the breeders of Carp carefully 



avoided buying fry from such ponds as \vere suspected 

 also to contain Crucian Carp. These observations were 

 regai'ded, however, by zoologists in general mereh' as 

 surmises — ichthyologists described these hybrids as a 

 distinct sjiecies, and IIecivi:!.' in I8o3 made them the 

 type of a, distinct genus — until Dybow-ski" in 18(i2 and 

 SiEiiOLi)'' in 18()o gave the ([uestion a different turn. 

 SiEiioLi) also showed' that there was gcjod reason to 

 regard the Letter of (ierman writers (Hlochs Vi/jjriiiiis 

 Bio/f/eiiliaf/ii) — a fish which was said to lead the wa\' 

 for the shoals of IJream, and whose capture was there- 

 fore sup]>(ise(l to be a good omen of an abundant take 

 — as a Iniirid oC two kinds between tlie Bream genus, 

 Abramis {brama and hlieed), on the one hand and the 

 Roach and Rudd genera, Leiiciseus and Scar<liiiii(s, on 

 tln' other; and also to intcr|)ret thi' lladiette (Albiiniiis 

 diilahrati(s) of French authors as a h\'brid'' between the 

 Chub {Leiteiseiis eejilialtis) an<l the Bleak {AUjiirniis hie'i- 

 dus). Jackei/ has added several forms from Bavaria 

 to this list of hybrids, one of which, that between the 

 Roach and the Rudd, mav jiossess a special interest for 

 our fauna. As Aet, however, to the best of our know- 

 ledge, oidy the first t)f these hybrids, that between the 

 Carp and the Crucian Carp, has been proved by breeding 

 experiments reallv to be of a hybrid nature. A great 

 field of investigation is still open here to the piscicul- 

 turist, with \\'hoin it lies to solve these questions; but 

 we know enough already to prevent any surprise at 

 the uncertaintA' in tlie svstematie arrangement of the 

 Cjprinoids. 



The Scandina\ian fauna, it is true, contains onh' a 

 few of the variations that have ranked as types for the 

 subfamilies and genera hitherto established within the 

 Cyprinoid family. Still, we possess a sufficient numlier 

 to enable us to see among them the most important 

 extremes in the differentiation of the family. From the 

 most harmonious Roach type the form-series within the 

 Scandinavian fauna proceed in two directions, on the 



" DAVinoFF calls these bones radii. 

 ^ Kt7[Qi^ was alsn a name of Venus. 



' h-htliijol. Stfst;. Hols., p. 34: "medii Carasi oh id dicti, /lal/i Km-nss vol A'arpfiiirass, quod e Caraso et Carpa composili videanlur." 

 '' "Siinilitudine inter Cyprinuni et Carassiuni luediat, nam ex nvis L'yprini, quantum Piscafores asserunt, ct semine, ved lacte Carassi. 

 aut e contra progeneratur," Danubius Pannonico-mysiciis, torn. VI, p. 61. 

 ' Zoologia: Silesiaccs Prodromus, p. 205. 

 '' Verb. zool. hot. Ver. Wieu, Bd. II, p. 29. 

 ' Vers. Monogi . Cypriniden Livlands, p. 55. 

 '' Siisswasserf. Mitteleur., p. 94. 

 ' L. c, pp. 145 — 152. 

 •' SiKit., 1. c, p. 167. 

 * Abh. zool. mineral. Ver. Hcgensb. 1864 and 1865; Zool. Garten 1866; Fisdie Bayerns. 



Scanilhiarm,! rislie.i^ 91 



