aquatic %itt 



93 



Sex Identification of Goldfish 



F. BAMFORD HANNA 



Quite the first question to be asked by 

 one desiring to breed the goldfish is how 

 the sexes may be distinguished. It has 

 been shown that a slight difference in 

 contour exists in the region about the 

 anus, but it is exceedingly hard to dis- 

 cern, and not a few experienced fanciers 

 will refuse to guarantee the sex of a fish 

 based on this feature alone. This varia- 

 tion between the two sexes is clearly 

 shown in the accompanying illustration, 

 but is not nearly so plain on the fish as 

 on paper: 



When in condition to breed the distin- 



guishing points are very evident. The 

 male develops tubercles or "salt spots" 

 on the gill plates and along the first ray 

 of the pectoral fins. These marks may 

 be absent from the fins, and but few in 

 number on the gill plates. The tubercles 

 are usually considered an infallible dis- 

 tinction, but are not absolutely so. Once 

 in a lifetime a fancier may find a female 

 with tubercles ! George W. Price and 

 William L. Paullin have reported in- 

 stances. 



The female, except about the anal, ex- 

 hibits no sexual distinction until the de- 

 velopment of the roes cause a distention 

 of the body, which is more evident from 

 a top view than from the side. Other 

 than this, it possesses no characters to 

 distinguish it from the male. If both 

 sexes are in the same tank, precocious 

 males may "drive" barren females, and 



in that manner aid in identification, but 

 a doubt may be cast on the certainty of 

 it by the fact that males will sometimes 

 drive other males. 



Pond Culture of Daphne 



OTTO GNIEDING 



Inasmuch as I rear from ten to fifteen 

 thousand fancy goldfish in ponds having 

 an aggregate area of about ten thousand 

 feet, it can be realized that in past years 

 it has been quite a task to provide my 

 fish with the necessary Daphne in abund- 

 ance. This has meant frequent and dis- 

 tant excursions, not to mention the great 

 amount of time consumed. Last year I 

 determined to have my own Daphne 

 pond, and to this end, having ample 

 ground at my disposal, I set aside a space 

 measuring thirty by forty-five feet, and 

 excavated to a depth of two and one- 

 half feet. 



About the middle of February I 

 bought a quart of soy beans, giving them 

 to a farmer to plant in his hot-beds. By 

 April 15th, the plants having grown rap- 

 idly, were fifteen inches high. I pulled 

 up about a fourth of them as being suf- 

 ficient for my purpose, and took them 

 home. Meanwhile I had been to see a 

 Japanese merchant who imports bric-a- 

 brac, which comes from Japan packed 

 in rice-bran — the very material I was 

 searching for. I secured several bags of 

 it without cost. I was now ready for the 

 real work. 



My pond was perfectly dry at this 

 time. In the centre, covering an area 

 three by six feet, I laid horse manure to 

 a depth of about three inches ; over this 

 I distributed my soy-bean plants ; then 

 a quantity of lean meat secured at little 

 cost, being only fit for dogs ; next the 

 rice-bran six inches deep ; finally all was 

 covered with fresh horse manure. On 



