rical and strongly marked protrusion of the eyeballs, long and widely spread caudal fin, and a mottling 

 of three or four colors, with conspicuous vermilion areas or black spots. 



The highest type of ryukin has, as its cardinal feature, a perfect caudal fin ; it may have either 

 three or four lobes, and is long, slender, fine-rayed, soft, and pendulous; the peduncle is thick. The 

 second point in determining the quality of a ryukin is the shape of the body and head; the body 

 should be short and only two-thirds as long as broad, and the head should be broad and with a 

 rounded snout. When the body is as long as broad, the fish ranks as second best. The least desirable 

 examples are those with long body and short tail. Both back and belly should be variegated, and 

 the caudal fin should be red. Fashion requires that the colors be not discreet but well blended. 



The first mark of quality in the oranda is the caudal fin, which must be symmetrical, long, and 

 flowing; at Tokyo and other more northern places a four-lobed tail is preferred, but at Koriyama 

 and in the south generally a three-lobed, four-lobed, or bag-shaped tail is acceptable to fanciers. 

 The shape of the head is the next important quality; the anterior part of the head should be broad, 

 and the protuberances, according to Professor Matsubara, "should be like a large well-proportioned 

 flower of the tree peony, and should not be small." Fish are rarely perfect in both respects a well- 

 shaped head will be accompanied by a short tail, and vice versa. 



At Tokyo and by the adherents of the Tokyo school generally, the varieties chiefly cultivated 

 are the wakin, ryukin, ranchu, and demekin; but the leading variety, and the one to which most 

 attention is given by all persons interested, is the ranchu. There is much friendly rivalry among 

 breeders and fanciers as to who can produce and possess the finest specimens, and each year in autumn 

 there is held in Tokyo a ranchu exhibition at which the claims of rival owners are considered by 

 jurors and awards are made. Professor Matsubara gives the following account of this exhibition : 



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