268 ' PEOSE HALIEUTICS. 



entals wHch embellisli the tazzas of our gardens, and the 

 ornamental glass globes of our drawing-rooms and con- 

 servatories — the cyprinus auratus, or gold-fish. These 

 sportive ' Chineses' found their way to England a long 

 while ago,* though they are said to have been ' unknown 

 in France till the days of Madame de Pompadour, to propi- 

 tiate whom they were originally sent as a present/ What- 

 ever may have been the date of their first introduction, the 

 subsequent destiny of these two Cyprians has proved very 

 different. The Pompadour's reign of beauty was soon over, 

 but her lubric rivals have maintained the breed, spread 

 their conquests into distant lands, and secured to them- 

 selves hosts of admirers in every part of the civilized 

 world. They are not, however, perfect beauties by any 

 means : in symmetry of form they must yield the palm 

 to 'the silvery bleak,' ' darting dace,' and other leucisci 

 (to which they are next of kin) , whilst not a few labour 

 also under various personal defects, such as lame fins 

 and goggle-eyes ; or else have the mouth and sometimes 

 the whole body screwed to one side ; yet, in spite of these 

 and other not infrequent blemishes, no fish upon the 

 whole can surpass, and few compete with them, in bril- 

 liancy of colouring or in general attractiveness. The 

 varieties of hue assumed by the cyprinus auratus in 

 passing through the different stages of development to 

 fall growth are endless. At first it is of a dark sooty 

 colour, nor is the splendid panoply perfected till more 

 than a year has rolled over his head j the coming change 

 is first indicated by the appearance of small silvery points, 

 dispersed here and there over the scales, which spreading 

 and deepening at the same time, at length encase the en- 

 tire body in a spangled robe of glittering gold. As the 



* In the year 1611, says the accomplished translator of Cu- 

 vier ; in 1691, says our edition of BufFon : the reader must adopt 

 his own date. 



