256 FISH CULTURE 



Fan-tail: Herman T. Wolf, in his admirable -work 

 on goldfish breeds, has given such a clear description 

 of the fan-tail, that I feel I can do no better than to 

 reproduce it. He says: "The fan-tail is a scaled, 

 short-bodied fish, very thick, round-backed and deep 

 bellied, of almost oval outline; its body being best 

 described as of short pumpkin-seed form, with the 

 horizontal longer diameter of slightly greater length 

 than a true oval. . . .It has a short, broad head, dis- 

 tinctly hog-nosed, a large mouth with full lips, erect 

 nostrils, and eyes like the ordinary goldfish but larger. 

 The long and erect dorsal fin sits far back on the spine, 

 all the other fins being paired ; the pectorals and ven- 

 trals are long and pendant, the double anal fins are 

 long and extend almost straight backward, while the 

 broad double tail, which is the principal characteristic 

 of the fish, is divided quite to the base, and the two 

 distinct tails stand directly vertical on the same plane 

 and are carried straight out behind the body without 

 the least drop or droop; the upper and lower lobes 

 being of exactly the same length so that a perpendicu- 

 lar line from the end of the upper wiU exactly touch 

 the lower lobe on each side. . . . The perfectly de- 

 veloped fan-tail (when viewed from the rear) has the 

 appearance of having two separate single tails placed 

 side by side. The tail of the fan-tail never exceeds 

 the body in length." A fan-tailed goldfish of full 

 blood is of a rich golden red, with rather large scales 

 which shine like burnished metal. At one time the 



