520 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXI. No. 796 



Scudderia texensis, S. furcata, Amblyoorypha 

 ohlongifolia, A. rotundifolia, A. uhleri, Microcen- 

 trum retinerve, M. rhombifolium and Cyrtophpllus 

 perspicillatus. The last is the true katydid, and 

 has harsher notes than any of the others named. 

 Photographs were exhibited showing several of 

 these species in the act of stridvdation. 

 Japanese Goldfish: Hugh M. Smith. 



Dr. Smith exhibited water-color paintings of 

 the ten varieties of goldfish now known and culti- 

 vated in Japan, and discussed some of the biolog- 

 ical points connected with the goldfish and its 

 culture. The goldfish is grown more extensively 

 in Japan than elsewhere; and in no other country 

 is any purely ornamental animal maintained by 

 a larger proportion of the population. This fish 

 has been a favorite subject for biological study 

 in Japan; and being exceedingly plastic material 

 it has yielded surprises to the biologist as well 

 as the culturist. 



The goldfish, like various other things now 

 firmly established in Japan, came originally from 

 China, the first known importation of the culti- 

 vated fish being in the year 1500. The original 

 stock has been greatly improved by cultivation 

 and crossing, and is now superior to any of the 

 Chinese breeds. The goldfish was probably not 

 indigenous to Japan and the wild, plain-colored 

 form there found represents a reversion. 



Attention was called to the views and theories 

 of Ryder (1893) : (1) that the Japanese varieties 

 of goldfish are the most profoundly modified of 

 any known domesticated animal organisms; (2) 

 that the greatly enlarged fins are correlated with 

 a degeneration of the muscular system through 

 disuse, owing to the " continued restraint of the 

 fish in small aquaria through many generations " ; 

 (3) that the feeble swimming powers have been 

 " purposely cultivated by oriental fish fanciers," 

 and the energy that would have gone into motion 

 has reacted in the growth of fins; (4) that the 

 enlarged caudal and other fins may serve as sup- 

 plemental respiratory organs; and (5) that this 

 hypertrophy has been " developed in physiological 

 response to artificial conditions of respiration in 

 the restricted and badly aerated tanks and aquaria 

 in which the fish have been bred for centuries." 



As the salient feature of goldfish culture in 

 Japan has always been the perfect oxygenation of 

 the water in the rearing ponds, the speaker held 

 that any theories based on the assumption of lack 

 of aeration are untenable. 



The most remarkable morphological features of 

 Japanese goldfish are the elimination of the dorsal 



fin and the development of paired caudal and anal 

 tins in some varieties. The division of the caudal 

 is not merely a splitting of the superficial soft 

 parts, but represents an actual bilateral separa- 

 tion of the deep-seated bony elements from which 

 the fin arises. 



The first and the last of these communications 

 were discussed by Dr. Theodore Gill, Dr. T. S. 

 Palmer and others. D. E. Lantz, 



Recording Secretary 



THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 

 NEW TOEK SECTION 



The sixth regular meeting of the session of 

 1909-10 was held at the Chemists' Club on 

 March 11. 



The following officers were elected for the ses- 

 sion of 1910-11: 



Chairman — Chas. Baskerville. 



Vice-Chairman — Samuel A. Tucker. 



Secretary and Treasurer — C. M. Joyce. 



Executive Committee — Morris Loeb, G. W. 

 Thompson, J. E. Crane and Arthur E. Hill. 



The papers presented were as follows: Wm. C. 

 Ferguson, " The Determination of Copper in 

 Blister and Refined Copper " ; Chas. Baskerville, 

 ■■ Scrubbing Device for Vacuum System in the 

 Laboratory"; J. L. Sporer, "Rack for Holding 

 Reagents in Bulk " ; H. T. Beans, " A Constant 

 Temperature Drying Oven and Gas Regulator"; 

 S. H. Beard, " An Automatic Pipette " ; C. T. G. 

 Rogers, " Description of a Modified Pettersson and 

 Palmquist Apparatus for the Determination of 

 Carbon Dioxide." 



C. M. Joyce, 



Secretary 



THE CHEMICAL SOCIETT OF WASHINGTON 



The 197th meeting was held in the Public 

 Library on Thursday evening, March 10. Presi- 

 dent Failyer presided, the attendance being 52. 

 The annual smoker will be held on April 9. The 

 committee on communications was authorized to 

 confer with the committee of the Washington 

 Academy of Science in preparing programs for 

 joint meetings. Dr. W. D. Bigelow, who had 

 general charge of the construction of the new 

 bureau of chemistry building, presented the only 

 paper of the evening, viz., " The Construction and 

 Equipment of a Chemical Laboratory." The paper 

 was illustrated with lantern slides. 



J. A. LeCleec, 



Secretary 



