CULTIVATION OF MARINE AND FRESH-WATER ANIMALS IN JAPAN. 271 



intermediate sizes of all sorts. (In the figure, a man with ;i hand-net is standing 

 in the midst of these basins.) They are very shallow, being not nunc than a few 

 inches dee)), can he easily drained or filled, and can be shaded or exposed to the sun 

 at will. In the figure, the wire-gauze coverings are seen half lifted up. to the 

 right of the man with a hand net. To the left of these basins there is the main 

 house with the thatched roof, where the proprietor lives with his family. Under the 

 rush shade in front of the house there is seen a large number of trays piled up one 

 above another, and also a number of pails for carrying fish about. Under the .shade 

 is standing the mistress of the establishment — somewhat out of focus. Farther 

 beyond are two young girls, not clearly seen, sorting some undesirable fish out of a 

 lot of the Erst yearlings. A man is drawing water from the well with a sweep. A 

 smaller house to the right is the place where fish food is prepared. A visit to such 

 an establishment would delight the hearts of not only children, but grown-up persons 

 who love bright colors and graceful forms, for the ponds are full of brilliantly col 

 ored fish of all ages and sizes. Here are huge fourth year " wakin," there graceful 

 second-year " rvukin," otf there fine "ranchu". Ornamental little carps, little tor- 

 toises, and tiny fish called "medaka" (Aplocheihis latipes) are also generally found 

 in the gold-fish breeders' establishments. 



The process of rearing gold-fish is in its main outline as follows: Large gold-fish 

 that are 3 or 4 years old, with good forms and healthy in every respect, are carefulh T 

 selected for the purpose of breeding. This takes place any time between the last part 

 of March and the middle of June, the usual time being in April and May. At this 

 season the color of the fish becomes more brilliant than ever, ami small, low warts 

 that can barely be felt with one's finger are said to be produced on the opercula 

 of the male. Both sexes crowd together, causing great commotion in ponds in which 

 they are kept. Plenty of a waterweed (" kingyomo," or "matsumo," C&ratophyllum 

 dt mi /■sin, i Linnaeus), or bundles of line roots of the willow tree are placed in the pond, 

 and on them the gold-fish lav their eggs. It is an interesting fact that gold-fish breeders 

 are able to control, within a certain limit, the time of deposition of eggs. If the fish 

 are given plenty of food beforehand and then the water of the pond in which they 

 are kept is renewed, or if they are placed in another pond, they will deposit eggs in 

 a day or two. On the contrary, if they are underfed and kept in the same stagnant 

 water, they will desist from depositing eggs sometimes altogether. 



The eggs take eight to nine days to hatch. The young for the first few days are 

 given the yolk of hen's eggs, boiled. Food is usually given them on shallow earth- 

 enware plates, slung by three strings from a bamboo pole (fig.2, pi. i), for the youngest 

 these plates being kept at the depth of a little over 1 inch below the surface of the 

 water. For the next two or three weeks the young are given various kinds of fresh- 

 water Copepoda. These the gold-fish breeders prepare beforehand in a separate 

 pond, for they have the knack of producing these water fleas in any quantity they 

 need at any time they like. After Copepoda, succeeds the ordinary food of the gold- 

 fish, such as fresh-water earthworms, boiled cracked wheat, etc. It is essential for 

 the growth and health of the fish that they be kept as warm as possible; hence, the 

 shallow earthenware dishes from which they are fed are kept at rirst--that is, when 

 the fish are first hatched, and, therefore, in the hot season — only a little over an inch 



