The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-01-20
THE ROANOKE TIMES, TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 1891.
WONDERFUL FISH.
It's Beautiful Changing Colors and It's Re-
markablc Intelligence.

| beautituk COiOrS uHO ACS ASo-
markablc Intelligence.
The sight of two brilliantly colorcd
fish ard u lot of little fish, evidently
their offspring, attracts q crowd every
day in front of an aquarist's window on
East Sixteenth street, says the Now
York Sun. uchey are paradise fish from
Cochin China, and tho two adult fish
have performed n feat no two fish Of
the species over performed before in
this country. They have reproduced lit
tic paradise fish, and great is tho joy Of
the fish sharps who visit the place and
learn the way the fish build their nests.
The sharps term the paradise fish
macropodus venustus; that is to say,
big-footcd beauty. 1t is called para
disc fish because of tho variety and
briiliancy of it's colors 1t is indigo
nous to Cochin China and India, and is
about three inches long when full
grown. Mr.. Samuel, who had tho fish
sent to New York from Germany, said
concerning tho paradise fish and its
habits:
1.-THE head is gray in color, and is
notified with dark spots, and tho gills
blue, bordcred with crimson Tho eyes
IRE yellow and red, and the pupil black
The sides of the body are crimson, with
ten or twelve vertical blue stripes The
tail is crescent in shape and is crimson,
with blue border.
"Whcn the fish is excited MI the col
ors are brilliant. When the malc fish
is fighting for the possession of fc-
male of the species he extends all his
fins and displays their most vivid colors.
The tail is covered with small spots,
like the eyes on Il peacocll's tail, and
the under surface Of the fish becomes
jet black. The colors of the dorsal fin
change constantly from green to blue,
sometimes showing white spots, and
the body trcmblcs pcrccptibly, RI
dating colors of every hue.
1.-The fish go TO the top of the water
very often for mir. They are exceed
ingly inquisitivc, and when q person ap-
proaches their tank they swim close to
the glass and look at him At times I
have noticed them resting on the bottom
of the tank, supported on the two long,
scarlet spines, looking much as boy
does when reclining on his elbows read
ing.
''As summer approaches the fish be-
come very active and build nest. Tho
male and the victor bctallcs himself to
corner of the aquarium, where he
commences to construct his nest TAX
ing position about an inch below the
surface of the water he frequently
takes air into his mouth and then elects
it forcibly in the shape of little bubbles
covered with n glutinous substance
which prevents them from bursting for
several hours. He continues to mako
bubbles until he has little floating
platform about six inches in circu1nfer-
ence and quarter of an inch thick.
"Whcn the nest is finished the female
approaches and deposits her eggs be-
meath the nest. The male gathers the
eggs with his mouth and places them on
the hubby nest.
when all the eggs have been cared for
the female again makes her appearance,
and the operation is repeated until
about LOCO eggs are on the nest. The
eggs hatch out il, about thirty-six hours
The father guards the young very jcal-
ously, and will not permit any thing
moving to approach near them. He
will even fight his mate if she comes
close to any of the small ones, although
l have never seen her modest them. In
this period have seen the male kill his
mate. For the first three DAYS the
young fish are kept near the surface.
and after that the male disperscs them
by putting at them. ii any weak ones
sink he gathers them in his mouth and
fires them to the surface. AS the young
increase in size he instructs them how
to find food. When they are fifteen days
old they look like the adult fish.
"They ere fed on carthworms and
raw beef, and during the cold weather
1 keep them comfortable by keeping an
incandcsccnt siXtccn-candlc power lamp
burning under them day and night.
They can not endure temperature
lower than 81 degrees or higher than 05
degrees. Aside from temperature they
are very hardy and exceedingly prolific
in summer. My pair reached me late
in the fall but by the use of the cleo
trio lamp l was enabled to raise tho
temperature to so degrees, and they
commenced to build. | raised twenty
four small fish, but the cold weather
has since killed some of them. Tho
males arc very intelligent, and they can
be taught many things, such as ringing
bell when they are hungry by pulling
a cord dangling in the water"
The American Cologne Habit.
Moral rcmonstrancc is now coming
frNtY ~.