THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOLDFISH 



the American breeder, goldfish culture being a comparatively recent in- 

 dustry in the United States, but has been a science in China and Japan for 

 centuries and an occupation of very considerable magnitude, to which must 

 be added the endless patience and perseverance which is characteristic of 

 the Oriental. It is also known that they only retain those young fishes 

 which are the most perfect of their respective kinds, as with all animals, 

 even the most careful breeding will produce many variations from the 

 parent stock, which in the goldfish leads to the hatching of imperfect fishes 

 and "sports." 



The breeding of the fine varieties is best conducted in tanks where 

 the fishes may be kept under constant inspection and supervision, but the 

 common goldfish multiplies rapidly in the pond; requiring only moderate 

 attention, some little protection from natural enemies and sufficient food. 



None of the early writers mention or illustrate the so-called scaleless 

 goldfishes. These really are thin or transparently scaled fishes. The 

 young of these breeds show a change from the dull to the bright colors 

 almost as soon as the umbilical sac is consumed and when the fish is still 

 very small. Under the microscope both the embrio and alevin show a 

 mottled appearance different from the dull olivate color of the heavily 

 scaled goldfishes. These thin-scaled fishes are the most sensitive to cold 

 water and low temperatures, as they are derived from fishes bred in the 

 warmer parts of China. 



In breeding for color both parents should have the desired markings 

 or have been derived from highly colored stock. To produce scaleless 

 (transparently scaled) Japanese Fringetails a female Fringetail should be 

 crossed with a transparently scaled male Chinese Telescope; as when the 

 female is transparently scaled and the male scaled, a smaller percentage of 

 the young will be transparently scaled. A scaleless (crossed) female Fringe- 

 tail and a male scaleless Telescope will produce the telescopic eye and the 

 Fringetail body and large fin development; and when both parents are 

 scaleless (crossed) Fringetails, they are most likely to produce scaleless 

 Fringetails with smaller and flat eye development than the Chinese Teles- 

 cope, but larger than that of the common goldfish. These are the hand- 

 somest and most highly colored fishes, superior to the Scaled Japanese 

 Fringetail stock. 



Prof. John A. Ryder stated that experiments in shaking apart the 

 cells produced by the first cleavage in the egg led to the development of 

 two separate embrios from the same egg, as well as the production of 

 monstrosities in both invertebrate and vertebrate animals. He mentioned 

 experiments in producing double monsters by violently shaking the re- 



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