In shape and coloring, the Calico Fantail is exactly like the Calico Telescope, but it lacks the telescopic eye development. It is, in short, a Calico Telescope which did not develop according to form.

   In form, the Plain Scaleless is identical with the Calico Telescope or the Calico Fantail-occurring both with and without the abnormal eye development-but there is a striking difference in color. It is red or white, or a mottled pattern of the two. The red of a scaleless fish is velvety oxblood red, and lacks the metallic shine of the red-gold scaled fish. Fins and tail are white, sometimes spotted black. The skin of both Calico and Plain Scaleless fishes is so transparent that the eggs of the female may be seen in her body when she swims in front of a light.

   A number of forms and colors come under the classification of Telescope. In fact, this includes practically all fish with protruding eyes. They are better known individually by such commercial names as Calico, Plain Scaleless, Moor, and so on.

But the Chinese Telescope might be called the basic telescope type. This fish, as a baby, looks like a golden Veiltail-as well it might be. Telescope fish do not begin to show the abnormal eyes until from two months to two years. Once the eyes begin to develop, they continue to do so as long as the fish lives.

   Usually whatever development is going to take place begins when the fish is three to five months old. If it lives as long as a year without showing it, then it probably never will. The Chinese Telescope without special eyes should not be called so, but be identified as a Veiltail. The term telescope, incidentally, is misleading. The eyes in no way give telescopic vision to the fish. In fact, the opposite is true; the more telescopic the eyes, the more myopic the fish seems to be.

   An extremely pretty fish, on the small side, usually a sooty, velvety black, and of short, chunky telescope form. Although most popular as blacks, pale-red and pale reddish-yellow Moors do occur now and then. A uniformly black Moor may shade off to blue-gray or a golden cast along the underside of the belly. Those with blue-gray casts usually retain their black color. Those with a golden cast sometimes turn gold. The Moor is a tricky fish to breed, especially with a good black coloring in mind. The best black offspring come not from two black parents, but from one black- and one red-scaled fish.