248 



s. WATASE 



The investigation" was begun in the autumn of 1885 and continued 

 until the summer of the following year under the supervision of Prof. 

 Mitsukuri and Prof. Ijima. To these gentlemen, I owe my sincere 

 thanks for their constant encouragement and valuable suggestions. 



I regret to say that I have not been able to obtain access to 

 some works more or less connected with the present subject. Under 

 this disadvantage I do not feel qualified to enter into an extensive 

 discussion of the question bearing on the morphology of the paired 

 and unpaired fins. I therefore confine myself in the present paper 

 principally to the description of the structure of the caudal and 

 anal fins of the gold-fish and to few suggestions. 



Before proceeding further, it would perhaps be well to make a 

 few remarks on the various breeds of gold-fish. We generally 

 distinguish three distinct breeds, viz., the " Japanese^" the " Corean " 

 and the " Loo-cliooan.^' These are the commonest breeds to be met 

 with in Japan. 



The Japanese breed or the " Wakin'' has a slender body, closely 

 resembling that of the common Carassius or carp. 



The Corean breed, otherwise called the " Maniho " or the 

 " Eanchht,'' is characterized by an exceedingly short body, being in 

 some cases almost globular in shape (Figs. 4 — 5, PI. XVIII). The 

 dorsal fin is generally entirely absent. The head is usually disfigured 

 by rough-looking protuberances of the skin which often attain a 

 considerable size. 



The Loo-chooan breed or the "i?m/i;m" (Figs. 1 — 3, PI. XVIII) 

 has a short body with a rounded abdomen. Of all the breeds, this 

 has the most beautiful tail, which is very large and often longer than' 

 the rest of the body. 



In foreign works it is frequently asserted that these anhnals 

 were first reared in Japan as well as in China. That the latter 



