64 ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 
ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 
Bepartuents : 
Mammals Aquarium 
W. T. Hornapvay. C. H. TownsENb. 
Birds Reptiles 
Ler S. CRANDALL, Raymonp L. Dirmars 
WitiiaM Bernt. Honorary Curator, Birds 
Published bi-monthly at the Office of the Society, 
111 Broadway, New York City. 
Yearly by Mail, $1.00. 
MAILED FREE TO MEMBERS. 
Copyright, 1920, by the New York Zoological Society. 
Each author is responsible for the scientific accuracy 
and the proof reading of his contribution. 
Etwin R. Sanrorn, Editor 
Vou. XXIV, No. 38 May, 1921 
Goldfishes have lived more than twenty years 
in captivity. The natural term of their existence 
is unknown. Longevity depends on health and 
proper environment; freedom from the diseases 
that are caused by handling, overcrowding and 
overfeeding, and by the introduction of new 
fishes that are infected; a well-balanced tank 
reset not oftener than twice a year, and water 
not too warm summer or winter. Adult gold- 
fishes can stand almost any degree of cold, but 
lose both health and appetite in water that is 
too warm. In hot weather a little of the water 
removed from the aquarium and replaced with 
water from the faucet is much appreciated. 
Like human beings, fishes may be cooled off a 
little without necessarily being chilled. 
There is on record the case of a “‘silver fish” 
that lived in an aquarium in England for thirty 
years. It was fed three times a week on raw 
meat—beef and mutton. ‘This specimen may 
have been a silver or pearl goldfish, or it may 
have been a roach or minnow. 
Goldtishes are subject to variation in color, 
and one may find his scarlet fishes turned to 
white, his silver specimens become black and 
yellow, or his black specimens pure gold or even 
red, white and blue. The only “fast black’ 
goldfish is the Moor. 
Goldfishes belong in the group of carps and 
minnows, are of the genus Carassius, and each 
variety has its own specific name, the common, 
straight-tailed goldfish being Carassius auratus. 
This is procurable for five or ten cents in any 
bird store. Fantails, costing from twenty-five 
cents up, are equally common. Comets, calico 
telescopes, Chinese Moors or black telescopes, 
Japanese nymphs (a cross between comet and 
fringetail), lionheads, fringetails and orandas 
are also commonly reared in this country; 
Comets, deriving their names from the long 
forked tail, telescopes from their protruding 
eyes, moors from their blackness, lionheads from 
the hood-like protuberances on the head. 
Orandas are much the same as lionheads ex- 
cepting that they possess a dorsal fin and 
longer tail. Rarer species are occasionally im- 
ported from the Orient, such as celestials (with 
eyes that can look only upward), Chinese egg- 
fish (an egg-shaped fish with no dorsal or anal 
fins and a long flowing tail), Chinese tumbler, 
tailless goldfish, ete. 
Some of these rarities bring fabulous prices. 
Wuar ro Piace with GOoLpFIsHEsS 
Tadpoles and snails have already been dis- 
cussed. 
Other fishes that can safely be placed with 
goldfishes are carps, roaches, shiners, dace, 
suckers, minnows, chubs, and small specimens 
of catfishes, sunfishes and crappie. Black- 
banded sunfishes never molest goldfishes, nor do 
black-nosed dace. 
New fishes should be isolated for a week and, 
if they show signs of disease give them a mild 
bath for fifteen minutes to half an hour, several 
days in succession, in a solution of perman- 
ganate of potassium, five small grains to a quart 
of water. 
Turtles and newts should not be placed with 
goldfishes. Newts and other small salamanders 
should be cared for in a terrarium, the same as 
frogs. Turtles are best kept in a shallow bowl 
with stones placed in the center, upon which 
they may crawl out of the water and bask in 
the sun. Without provision for this basking, 
their shells become soft and they die. 
HOW TO BREED INFUSORIA 
There are several ways of succeeding with 
infusoria. Experiments made by the writer, 
with all kinds of fruit and vegetable skins, corn 
husks, lettuce, peanut shells, dried garden fer- 
tilizer, ete., showed that there are three in- 
fusions that can be pronounced the best: hay, 
prepared infusoria culture (put up by various 
concerns and sold in bird stores), and aquatic 
plants laid thickly in a shallow dish and allowed 
to break down gradually. 
Most cultures are richest from the fifth day 
on, but show some signs of life on the second or 
third day. 
Hay Infusion.—Place a little hay in an open 
receptacle any kind of a dish or jar will do, 
but a basin with a broad surface area is prob- 
ably best. Cover the hay well with water, 
