172 Fresh Water Aquarium 



rarely seen, very small and so different in 

 its coloring and markings from other aqua- 

 rium fishes, that it deserves special atten- 

 tion. On a clear silvery ground many ir- 

 regular velvety black spots and blotches 

 appear sharply defined. On some speci- 

 mens the caudal part is all black. The 

 dorsal fin is nearer to the tail than to the 

 head and is about as high as the body, the 

 caudal fin is large and fan-shaped, and both 

 are black near their base. The ventral fin 

 is long and slender, about one-third as long 

 as the whole body. The female is much 

 larger than the male and so different in 

 color, that the casual observer would cer- 

 tainly take it for an entirely different fish. 

 Its color is a very light olive with faint 

 markings of a darker color. The dorsal 

 and caudal fins are shaped like those of the 

 male and show several lines of dark dots on 

 a light ground. The ventral fin has the 

 usual broad and short form. This fish is 



