ICHTHYOLOGY IN JAPAN. 451 



considerable commercial importance, especially in autumn. It is 

 captured by fixed nets and seines. The Common Carp, again, 

 has been an important food-fish in Japan since the beginning of 

 the Christian era, and is taken by gill-nets, cast-nets, hooks, and 

 weirs. The latter are made of bamboos, and are ingeniously 

 elaborate. The Gold Carp has been considered good food for 

 nearly as long a period. It attains the length of eighteen 

 inches, and a weight of 3| lb. The four imperial quarto plates 

 accompanying this part maintain the high standard of the 

 previous plates, and are a credit to Japan and to science, and 

 the same may be said of the figures of the nets, pounds, and 

 other apparatus in the Japanese text. 



The first part of the fourth volume deals with nine important 

 species, five pertaining to the Sahnonida, three to the Apodous 

 fishes, and the last is Pagrus major. Each species receives 

 careful notice in regard to specific characters, coloration, habits, 

 food, reproduction, distribution, and economic value, and the 

 figures still maintain the same high character. It would be an 

 improvement, however, if the English text were revised by a 

 skilled reader, though it must .be stated that no ambiguity 

 results from the present orthography. 



The first species is the famous Eed Tai or Madai {Pagrus 

 major, T. & S.), so highly esteemed in Japan as to be a kind of 

 national emblem. The largest attain the length of two feet 

 and a weight of six pounds. It is estimated that the ova, which 

 have an oil-globule and are 1 mm. in diameter, number eighteen 

 million, so that it is clear they cannot all ripen at once. An 

 interesting fact in connection with this fish is the use of a seine 

 with body or bag and wings, together with a long auxiliary scare- 

 line with keg-buoys and sinkers. No fewer than forty-six men 

 are required to manipulate it, viz. twenty-four net-hands in two 

 boats, ten auxiliary net-men in two boats, eight anchor-men in 

 two boats, and four watchers or supervisors in a special boat. 

 The plan of using a scare-line, as in certain other countries, is 

 noteworthy. 



The Salmonidce include Onchorynchus keta, Walb., the Dog- 

 Salmon or Hake, one of the Quinnat Salmon found on both sides 

 of the North Pacific. It weighs from seven to ten pounds, and 

 is caught chiefly by seines in Northern Japan. Another species 



