THE PARADISE FISH AND ITS BREEDING HABITS. 
By Huco MuLERTTr. 
The paradise fish, like the German canary, 
is a product of cultivation, as there is no place 
known where it is found in a wild state. It is 
a native of China. There they are cultivated 
and kept in aquaria as ornamental fish only. 
The male is the larger of the two sexes, meas- 
uring, when full grown, from the mouth to the 
end of the caudal fin, three and a half inches. 
The body is shaped very much like that of the 
pumpkin seed sunfish. Its colors surpass in 
brilliancy any fish heretofore cultivated for the 
aquarium. The head is ashy gray, mottled 

torals, situated directly above the ventral fins, 
are well shaped, but, being transparent, show 
no color. All these colors above described are 
most brilliant when the fish is excited. For 
instance, when engaged in combat for the pos- 
session of a female fish, or when courting, he 
shows the most brilliant colors, in order to at- 
tract the attention of his lady-love, she being 
especially fond of bright colors. 
On such occasions he expands all of his fins 
to their greatest extent. The caudal fin ap- 
pears then to be covered with little pearls, 
like the eyes 


with irregu- 











acre taba iile 
On. a pe€a- 




























spots. The cock’s tail, 
gills are and the un- 
azurine blue der surface 
bordered of the fish 
with _ bril- becomes jet 
liant crim- black. The 
son. The color of the 
eyes are yel- 
low and red, 
with a black 
pupil. The 
sides of the 
body and 
the cres- 
































dorsal fin 
changes 
constant- 
ly from bril- 
liant green 
to indigo 
blue, now 







and then 

cent-shaped 















caudal fin 




showing 




ae weep 
white spots, 


crimson; 
and, while 






the former 
the body is 



having ten 
or twelve vertical blue stripes, while the latter 
is bordered with blue. The under surtace of 
the body is continually changing color—some- 
times it is white, at others gray or black. The 
dorsal and anal fins are remarkably large, 
hence the generic name of the fish—macro, 
large ; fodus, the food or fin. Both fins are 
shaped alike. They are striped and dotted 
with brown and bordered with blue. The 
dull-colored ventral fins are protected by a 
brilliant scarlet-colored spine, extending three- 
fourths of an inch behind the fins. The pec- 


in tremu- 
lous motion, radiating colors of every conceiv- 
able hue. The female is smaller and not quite 
so brilliantly colored. 
The entire body of the paradise fish, from 
the mouth to the beginning of the caudal fin, 
is covered with small round scales. 
Their mode of living, when compared to 
American fishes, resembles that of the little 
dogfish, and the rainbow-darter. _ Like the for- 
mer, they come to the surface of the water for 
atmospheric air, and, owing to this faculty, will 
live and thrive in a remarkably small quantity 

