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  ICHTHYOLOGY 
  IN 
  JAPAN. 
  

  

  By 
  Prof. 
  Mcintosh, 
  M.D., 
  LL.D., 
  F.R.S., 
  &c. 
  

  

  The 
  changes 
  which 
  have 
  taken 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  civilization 
  of 
  

   Japan 
  within 
  the 
  last 
  forty 
  years 
  have 
  been 
  emphasized 
  in 
  a 
  

   remarkable 
  degree 
  in 
  her 
  scientific 
  progress. 
  The 
  " 
  silent 
  and 
  

   sentimental 
  " 
  people 
  of 
  Ehrenberg, 
  who 
  with 
  quiet 
  humour 
  could 
  

   first 
  remove 
  the 
  sponge 
  from 
  the 
  upper 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  Glass-rope 
  

   Sponge, 
  insert 
  the 
  denuded 
  tip 
  into 
  a 
  hole 
  bored 
  by 
  Pholas 
  in 
  a 
  

   rock, 
  and 
  sell 
  the 
  whole 
  to 
  the 
  authorities 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Museum 
  

   as 
  a 
  " 
  Glass 
  Plant 
  " 
  — 
  which 
  grew 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  aperture, 
  as 
  it 
  were 
  

   wisp 
  uppermost 
  — 
  have 
  since 
  that 
  date 
  achieved 
  a 
  reputation 
  as 
  

   able 
  and 
  original 
  scientific 
  inquirers. 
  At 
  first 
  they 
  acquired 
  

   their 
  scientific 
  knowledge 
  by 
  emigration 
  to 
  the 
  centres 
  of 
  

   western 
  nations, 
  or 
  from 
  skilled 
  lecturers 
  introduced 
  into 
  their 
  

   own 
  country. 
  So 
  seriously 
  did 
  they 
  apply 
  themselves 
  to 
  the 
  

   task, 
  that 
  now 
  their 
  own 
  nation 
  supplies 
  capable 
  investigators 
  

   and 
  teachers 
  in 
  most 
  departments, 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  Universities 
  ; 
  

   whilst 
  the 
  encouragement 
  given 
  to 
  Marine 
  Laboratories 
  and 
  

   Marine 
  Research 
  in 
  general 
  would 
  do 
  credit 
  to 
  a 
  European 
  

   nation. 
  The 
  quaint 
  and 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  imaginary 
  representations 
  

   of 
  the 
  fishes 
  of 
  Japan 
  have 
  given 
  way 
  to 
  a 
  new 
  order 
  of 
  things, 
  

   in 
  which 
  Fisheries' 
  Research 
  is 
  being 
  carried 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  Imperial 
  

   Fisheries' 
  Bureau 
  of 
  Tokyo, 
  under 
  Prof. 
  Kishinouye 
  and 
  others, 
  

   and 
  the 
  fauna 
  of 
  a 
  sea 
  which 
  can 
  produce 
  an 
  edible 
  Medusa 
  is 
  

   one 
  which 
  invites 
  investigation. 
  One 
  is, 
  indeed, 
  struck 
  by 
  the 
  

   thorough 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  scientific 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  

   various 
  commercial 
  products 
  of 
  Japanese 
  waters— 
  such 
  as 
  

   fishes, 
  trepangs, 
  mollusks, 
  annelids, 
  corals, 
  edible 
  medusae, 
  and 
  

   sponges 
  — 
  is 
  carried 
  out. 
  It 
  is 
  an 
  index 
  to 
  the 
  enterprising 
  

   nature 
  of 
  the 
  people. 
  These 
  remarks 
  have 
  been 
  suggested 
  by 
  the 
  

   perusal 
  of 
  the 
  popular 
  work 
  subsequently 
  mentioned, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   by 
  the 
  fine 
  series 
  of 
  memoirs 
  on 
  the 
  Teleosts 
  of 
  Japan, 
  by 
  David 
  

   S. 
  Jordan 
  (who 
  personally 
  examined 
  the 
  Japanese 
  waters) 
  and 
  

  

  