126 VERTEBRATA. PISCES. 



quickened motion, sometimes jumping out of the 

 water, or thrusting themselves into weeds so near the 

 bank as to be taken by the hand. The males are not 

 distinguishable from the females by a difference of 

 colour, but by the dorsal fin, which is short and ends 

 abruptly; but in the female it is long, extending 

 almost to the tail, and of a fan-like shape. The 

 actual time of spawning may be perceived by an 

 unusual stillness in the fish, and by their keeping in 

 deep water, even in the hottest weather, contrary to 

 their usual practice of basking in the sun at the 

 very surface, with their backs frequently out of 

 water. When the spawn becomes alive, the fish are 

 of a very dark colour, some nearly black, others of a 

 dark slate colour; the former produces the red or 

 gold fish, the latter, the white or silver fish. Al- 

 though these fish are extremely tender, yet they are 

 seldom affected by our coldest winters. The heat, 

 however, of the hand is sufficient to deprive them of 

 life, and is probably one reason why they seldom 

 live long when confined in glasses. Persons desirous 

 of keeping them, should change their water very fre- 

 quently, and remove the fish by a small landing net. 

 It is also well to keep them during the night in a 

 tub of water, and remove them into the glass in the 

 morning. The best time to take them from the 

 pond is in April, or before they become heavy with 

 spawn, for, in confinement, they rarely survive the 

 spawning season. They never spawn in a transpa- 

 rent vessel." 



