Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-13
FISHES THAT BUILD NESTS,
Papa Fishes That Take Care Of Their Families
and Other Funny Things.


and Other Funny Things.
GIT is GENERALLY supposed that fishes
Il take no care whatever of their young
leaving them,entircly to the attentiou Of nature"
said Prof Theodore Gill to a writer for The
STAR. "But the fact is very much otherwise
with many species. The most remarkable
point, however, regarding certain kinds Of
finny creatures in their parental relations is
that males do the care taking, and not the fe-
males. Very interesting discoveries have been
recently made with regard to the habits Of nest
building fishes, the catfish among others.
IF you will go out any time during the
month of August in this latitude you will zee
in the streams and ponds big catfish of the
swarm of small fry. In each case the old one
is male and he is engaged in taking ca-c'of his
offspring. If an intruder comes near he will
dash at him and drive him away. 1t has been
known for a long while that catfishes had this
way of guarding their young. but only lately
fish which did the care taking. Some time back
there was pair of catfishcs in one of the
aquarii. ut the building of the fish commission
At spawning time eggs were laid. and one of the
parents kept watch over them, not permitting
the other to come near. The Young were duly
Matched ard thrived. being cared for in this
way until they were big enough to look out for
themselves Then the fish which had stood
guard was taken out and dissectcd, the result
being that it was found to be the male.
THE WAYS OF THE CATFISH.
'In their native ponds and brooks you will
find large broods of young catfish as big as
three-fourths of an inch in length re-
maining together in fOcks. each flock accom-
panied by the male. Sometimes the latter will
swim slowly along in the center of the flock and
AT other times alongside In laying their eggs
the parent catlishcs select spot where the
water is quiet if possible protected by aquatic
plants, and there they make a nest perhaps 8
inches by 6, inclosing the spawn. This nest
has soft outer envelope and over it the male
hovers. forcing fresh water through the mass
by rapid vibrations of its fms until after about
a week they are Matched.
sometimes the male catfish takes care of its
young in a still more peculiar manner. There
IL a kind found in the sea the eggs laid by
which are big as small bullet. These eggs
are found in the mouths of the males, which do
this to protect them. After the eggs are laid
the papa catfish takes them into his Iuouth and
keeps them there until they are all hatched
when they go out and take care Of themselves
But this method is not confined to the cat
fishes. There are found in Africa and South
America species which resemble the suntish of
our own streams. These 'cichl!ds,' as they are
called, are also plentiful in Texas and in Pales-
tine. They are often found with their checks
fairly bullying with young. In the sea of
Galilee the cichlids 80 numerous that the
miraculous catch of the time when st. Peter
tishCd there might be repeated any day it be-
ing the manner of these fishes to move about
on top of the water in solid masses, covering
many square yards and making a noise like
that Of rain pouring.
THE sUNFIsH.
"The common suntsh also takes care of its
eggs as do other species of its family which are
peculiar to North America, such as the black
bass, rock bass. and Graphic. In the spring a
pair of these fishes will come shore and
carefully clear away = circular spot IA foot or
two in diameter, removing all the weeds and
stones. In this clearing the female lays her
eggs and the male Immediately takes charge
lowering over the nest and driving away all in
truders. This continues until the baby fishes
are Matched and able to take care Of them
selves.
1.-The pipe fishes. which are found in every
save where it is very cold, also take care Of
their young. and in a very curious manner.
The new-laid eggs are taken charge of by the
male which has n sort of fold on each side of
its body. Beneath these flaps he keeps the
eggs until the young are Matched and suf-
ficiently grown to take care of themseles. In
the group which includes the horse the
male has pouch under its tail. wherein it re-
tains the eggs until the little fish have been
Matched for a day or two, at the end of which
time they make their way out and do their own
foraging.
NATURES WISE PROVISIONS.
SIN the case of all these species Of fishes
which take care Of their young curious adapt
alton of natural law to circumstances is found.
Those which take the greatest pains in shelter
ing their offspring have the fewest eggs, per-
haps less than one hundred at n lay. On The
other hand. other sorts Of fishes which pay NOT
the slightest attention to their young produSs
hundreds Of thousands and even millions al
q single lay. The extreme in the other direc-
ton is found in the gigantic ray known
he aytl ali of t1,nr ,.1
grows to be twenty feet in width. 1t bears bat
a single young one at birth. the mother re-
tanning it inside her body until it has grown to
be four feet broad The youthful devil fish,
coming into the world so big, is in little
enough to keep up the stock. There are very
many kinds of fishes which are called 'vivi-
parous because they bring forth their young
alive. Three-fourths Of the sharks are OF thai
nature"