Bihllographical Notices. 449 



scientific methods, as well as of their national aptitude for rendering 

 their work generally useful by combining practical instruction with 

 purely technical detail. 



The text of each number consists of two separate portions : the 

 first, which is written in English, contains a technical description of 

 each species with an account of its distribution m Japan, its habits, 

 propagation, economic value, and, in a condensed form, of the 

 implements and modes of capture. The second portion is a 

 Japanese reproduction of the former, but in it the authors enter 

 more fully into such details as possess a special local interest ; it is 

 illustrated by numerous text-figures of the implements and 

 apparatus employed by the Japanese fishermen, many of which are 

 very ingenuous, while a few are admittedly foreign importations. 

 Some spirited sketches of fishing-operations cannot fail to delight 

 the fisherman's heart, and a study of them may be useful or give 

 new ideas to the expert of other lands. 



The figures of the fishes have been taken from fresh specimens 

 and are most faithful representations ; although every attention is 

 paid to an accurate delineation of structural details, ichthyologists 

 will readily recognize in them an artistic family-likeness to the 

 illustrations in Siebold's ' Fauna Japonica.' 



The authors do not hamper themselves with a systematic 

 sequence of the species admitted in their work. Of the four parts 

 that have appeared up to the present, the first (19U3) treats of 

 Lateolahrax japonicus^ Laiilus sinensis, Thynnus affinis, and Seriola 

 quinqueradiata. The importance of the last two may be gathered 

 from the fact that iu 1899 the catch of the Tunny amounted to 

 79,124,002 pounds, valued at about .£394,000, and that of the 

 Seriola in 1901 to 44,731,405 pounds, valued at £209,000. 



Of the food-fishes treated of in the second part (1904) — Scomhrops 

 chilodipteroides, Scomber colias, Traclmrus japonicus, Caranx 

 muroadsi, Paralichihys oUvaceus — the most valuable is the Spanish 

 Mackerel, identical with the European form, its capture being 

 valued on an average at £120,000 a year. 



In the third part (1906) Sparus Sclilegelii, Thynnus ScJilegelii, 

 Clupea melanosticta, Chaioessus punctatus, and two freshwater fishes, 

 Cypriniis car/no and Carassius auratus, are included. As to the 

 Carp, it is interesting to notice that this fish is regarded as " one 

 of the table dainties," and that its culture has been practised in 

 Japan as far back as the first century. Goldfish are generally 

 distributed over the islands, even the smallest streams being 

 stocked with this species ; its culture is known to have been well- 

 developed in the ninth century. 



Part 4 (1907) contains descriptions and figures of nine species : 

 Pagrus major, Oncorhynclius keta, Plecoglossus altivelis, Sahno 

 masou, Hypomesus olidus, Salanoc microdon, Anguilla jajjonica, 

 Murcenesox cinereus, and Conger anago. The first of these is of 

 great commercial value, estimated at =£326,000 per annum. The 

 small Plecoglossus is highly esteemed for the table, and aflfords 

 principally sport with Cormorants ; some places in the Mino 



