WHY GOLDFISH ?<br > Madame Pompadour， favorite of the French court， received a surprise gift<br > from Louis XV one day along about 1755. The gift was something the like of<br > which had never before been seen around the court--a tubful of living gold--<br > beautiful "carp" which Louis imported from China a few days before.<br > The fish didn t last long. Through Pompadour s over-pampering， they<br > quickly died. But the commotion these exotic fish caused in French society<br > was so great that others were imported and bred， and soon one s parlor<br > couldn t possibly be fashionable unless a pair of the Chinese fish--they called<br > them "golden carp" or simply "gold sh --were sw~mrmng around in a basin<br > fi " . .<br > or indoor pool.<br > Since then， goldfish have traveled to all sections of the earth， and few are<br >the Americans who have not at one time or other had a goldfish or two around<br >the house. Unfortunately， many attempts at goldfish-keeping end in disaster，<br >principally because owners neglect to learn how to properly care for them.<br > Actually， fish are about the easiest pets in the world to keep. Goldfish<br >require only about three minutes care a day， ordinarily need no heaters and<br >thermostats (as do most tropical fish)， are hearty and long-lived. On top of<br > A two-year-old HIgoi， or Golden Carp， Cyprinus carpio. Photo by Laurence E. Perkins.<br >