The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-07-14
Nest-building Fishes.

NN"WVtfs CV"hut says VI lttle uSI
which may be found occasionally in tn,
creeks of Jersey Ono Of the most com
mon OF our British fishes, the tiny sickle
back, has attracted considerable attention
on account of It's curious habit Of build.
ing a nest--rivalliug in iutricacy the
holmes Of our feathered friends-in which
It deposits its eggs, and over which il
keeps watch and guard till the tiny family
are able TO enter on the responsibility Of
stickleback-life. Such precautionsare un
usual among the finuy tribes, whose egg,
are generally left to chance; or, in some
cases, adhere to friendly weeds till they
hatch out, and the young ones face life in
the world of waters, without parent
care to guide them. The lordly salmon
makes an apology for nest by scooping
out hollow or "redd in the gravel bed ol
the stream which il ascends for the pur.
pose; but this, compared with the beautiful
Workmanship Of the stickleback, is as the
rooks collection Of sticks to the messy
ball prepared by Jenny Wren for her
bantlings.
The instances of building fishes arc
rare, and it is among tropical species that
the majority Of them occur. One Of these
whose lovely colors have caused it to be
christened the rainbow iishn-has lately
been introduced in limited numbers into
Europe, where its beauty has created quite
.titror amongst the aquarium-keepers,
and where il excites additional interest on
account Of its possessing the popularity of
building nest for the reception of the
eggs. Probably the first person who has
watched the whole of this operation was
Monsieur Carbonnier, French natura-
list, who lately gave an account of his OBJ
servations before the Paris Acclimatization
Society.
AS in the case Of the stickleback, it is
the male fish which performs the princi-
pal duties, Of nurse and cradle-keepers;
but the nest Of the rainbow fish differs
from that of the stickleback in the fact
that it floats on the surface of the water,
whereas the latter is built among the
weeds beneath. The approach of breed.
ingtime is marked by the increasing
beuaty Of color in the male fish, who dons
his best robes in order to lind favor in the
eyes of his mate. His scales then assume
all the varied tints Of the rainbow, every
o'yu' .,,, T"usi"s '"elh W scin:liiAse win
ota'o aI. e suatio I HnI o'el nue' iioM
lss io''" VIZ" ll'i't il'lei'eu SP'e"uori no"
uy'"s a%'l ~. . "Cuieu'' Tuiy 70 reap
Peai wiz" s''"''' variety anu 'n''"s''y Vi
'oiU,, p,,., -. II +.
IT. us '',no % 'ot al e'on ~ 'ou'''
ins, LAG o".ei' y" '.i1 uut'es Vi n's Pro-
P1Stno sP',, PO'i'ioa WIN ''soii Huc h.'
lss'.', a"ss ,,e u''nosV ~ oaS1ei'y1 70
sluo eAe 'iuou mu u Ni1n''oui oa'Uoln'et 81 >
u"'l'':, "".iat',o' ine "eeuS s,Vml"s ln @ 'no
aiua' iuu :" "n'eH 9o'no VI nus op90liiienS
"e'o 'o"""1u T, "e'1 VI . A'uu ".,i'" mou'u
i"i ho. noG' -; i"e ,',t nsa 'ore on otIs Vi 'nc
.o .en'es !" l hs MOUTH e' "1u eAPe,'eu 'ue,ii
'''',,1a So"aau' .no su'lao.' oI' tneat sPeclno
s.a,asy ,; was 'yv s'ea', a@u %n his eaor's me'e
me- u"a,"s .u, =, o"toTpn'ei' sni WIN !"
Y' Ps'''PIio. y. ,"o uSn > ~""'s, fe-
. p,ntuu '"u paue ,L LT WIN -, o'nerS % .. hnef
A'e' GU aau s"o" nav 'ne P''aeu'. VI see
.us '"e u'' ''"s" no "''''Hp'S VII" eoii
reru a., ~ ~" g., 60, .,..,.,:
a' . .no "'' was ''I 'oo oTanis ~ uroii- cn
.II " s'u'' W 'o n's no'a''ou VI sic
,;naaa t,.t 'naSei t'' ~ :.; a"u ",''i P'eo,s ie~
reI,J ri L',hLIa j's ,,;';I -l,,n no iG'a - o..
A.i IL yIo' ', - c .oou 1ES'oou' ""'oi,
I ~ vas aU'o .h' " 'JuVs i'on' ".' t i'us" anu
pa.9N , ine" T.. u tn. sVa'a.' "l'n "ls noa''ns
"',5s.,o 80 "l', I :" i1Os, 10 "s.noo', - "'uos
ooa 'a.1 L.' ~ "a'o p'Tpco0u W '"'?o S t"o M an,
$50 " enS ioans =. ,'nlneuSe a'I'Uass, 'nI
talnuoT us", N,se. 'pan ourselves iorlheu
n'' AH .VA ,;' auu a''a.nou ''i 'H''n " MS sup
40 pieIHu''onaiy c'' MEASURE 70 prevent ns
% sui ;a; ,;oH I. naHl H,,, ins'Ol'y, Oon,sioH
VIII wiz P,oo,"o ',',o i'O" DuNe'' VI o'"'' uh'o'
"",a eau'vs'
\, Dsy ~ uAi 'ile HoiA oi Aii''ips 'osetmet
s"o n''i' ioi0eis % VI "es' PROGRESSES, 'iii q
IoAus toia'u isialu .niec imones lh
u'l'e. ~ . Lir.u 'Trme1 .uc non i'set = "o'
p io'o ei'1u I %a'' ."o 'eustn!l Out 'ns % 81
" sPeaN' on,y 'ae iounuatiou no oi 'no eul,
ne, '"e ioo' UcI"s ~ fea,l'y epnI'tuc'e1 :
D'iore Ips o;net PatN nIuca'n :i % 1u's fuoi 'S
,onP'9'e u clieuiaf nes' y pull', "n'eh 1ne
nsu U.s. pe'us eose'uet WIN .ie greatest mus
ny aoS pa'ience' anu not ''i' IL Is com,
piele ooes ne seek ms companion An
TINS tiihc ,ne female mas kept aiooi' neither
asS's,lns heI companion nor encouraging
nun py her presence IN tne WORK OF Nom
eaton DS' now she IS induced 70 visit
.he nome oi ner iu'ure progeny ahu 'ne
iaoors OF tiS exemplary parent are re-
.Soo, ~ "arac,ilv 1r;,h;n ,hn nn,, mh;pL ho
sos,ionaIly ] snonorts ", viii tJs Sresb G bubbles %
ioo, H. n.oc;onp s|pp aaroo I sbon,J ovorwo;,,h
o'' NJ w, P.e0'yu. 'aso snouu o'Ii"eiS'S .
on m .s,,a,I AN hosnro ,bo oSiS dnoS;no o - ,ha
~ On.s ~ ~ 800 ". ~ e - Up anon." '
"SS. N"u a"aNs 'to souiS. VI e'eu'sl