HISTORY AND ANATOMY OF THE GOLDFISH 



in an overturned position, the back down and the belly upwards ; but can turn readily when they 

 wish to swim, or can move about as well in the overturned position. It seems that this is also the 

 most richly colored fish. 



The Long-Ts!/ig-yu or DngonEyes correspond with the ••Telescope" and "Gros-yeux" 

 of M. de Lacepede, a variety remarkable for the enormous development of the eyes. I have 

 dissected them and have not found any difference in internal or external structure, the eye only 

 is much larger. Their right or oblique muscles were very weak, but the oblique nerves did not 

 appear smaller. This fish often holds itself overturned like the preceding. The Chinese have 

 a singular belief as to the origin of this species, regarding it as a cross between the ordinary Kin- 

 yu, or common goldfish, fecundated by a frog. It is however one of the rarest breeds, and are 

 sold in Pekin for as much as twenty thalers apiece. 



T/ie Choui- Tu or Sleepers are a variety which keep themselves at the bottom of the water 

 without motion. It would appear that to come to the surface of the vessel is a fatigue for the fish 

 because it goes back very promptly to the sand. 



The Kin- Jeon- Tu or Leapers have the habit of frequently obliquely jumping out of the 

 water, like some species of our carp. 



The Kin-Eubk-Yu of Nymphs are less brilliant in gold or silver than the others; but the 

 delicate lustre, the rich shades and the iridescence of their colorings and the quickness of their 

 movements, make this variety highly appreciated. 



The Quen- Tu or Lettered. In conclusion the missionaries mention the Quen-yu or lettered 

 goldfish, the colors of which are so placed that one seems to find Chinese characters along their 

 sides. The dealers in Pekin pretend that they obtained this result by a secret method. The 

 fathers of the missions learned, but without verification from trustworthy source, that the Chinese 

 by a method similar to tatooing cause the sides of the fish to appear as though covered by written 

 characters. They believe that a paste is employed to leave these tracings on the fish, made of 

 arsenic mixed with the urine of the tortoise, as skin preparations usually contain this metal; which 

 has a very active effect; and it is natural to suppose that this metallic agent would leave marks 

 on the horny scales of the fish. 



The above constitutes the basis for probably all the more recent de- 

 scriptions of the Chinese goldfish breeds; the differences being principally 

 in the wording, errors of translation, or unfamiliarity with the toy varieties 

 of this fish. 



In the Nouveau Memoirs de la Societe Imperial des Naturists de Moscow, 

 1855, M. Basilewsky depicted five goldfishes, which he designated cyprini 

 aurati, all having elongated bodies, either "tripod" tails, "web" tails or 

 double tails; and two having "spiked" dorsal fins of three and five rays. 

 All have larger eyes than the common goldfish but not protruding from 

 the head. 



Dr. P. ^\etk^r in the Atlas I chthiologique des Indes N'eerlandisis 1863, 

 describes nine breeds of goldfishes, four from Sarakarta, Java, and five 

 from Jedo, Japan. Two of these are new, the others are based upon 

 the descriptions and nomenclature of Bloch, Valenciennes, de Lacepede 

 and Basilewsky. 



FISHES IN GENERAL 



The Pisces or fishes belong to the Vertebrata and may be defined 

 as gilled and generally scaled cold-blooded vertebrate animals having a 

 heart consisting of a single auricle and ventricle, limbs in the form of fins 



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