The record-union., 1891-04-26
CARE OF FISH eggs.
Interesting Information from the
Natural History Society.

The Number of Eggs Produced by the
Different Species and Their Methods
Of Depositing Them-Singular Con-
trivances for Hatching Out the
Young.
"The eggs of the marine catfish are as
large as those of robin," said DR.. James
A. Henshell, Secretary of the Natural
History Society, to Cincinnati Times
Star reporter. The reporter jotted this
down while the man who knows more
about the internal mechanism of a fish
than Jonah did continued: But at the
same time the number of eggs produced
by the fish varies according to its age and
weight. The species have just alluded
to deposits from ten to thirty in accord
ance with these rules, and hence it is not
so prolific as other species that deposit
from thousands to millions"
'Millions!" echoed the reporter.
"Wel, yes; but let us enumerate. The
brook trout deposits from 100 to 1900;
salmon, from 5000 to $4,000; black bass,
5000 to 10000; lake trout, $4,000; shad,
%, 900 to 100000; whitefish, 10000 to &c, 900;
mackerel, 100000 to 100000; halibut, p
100000; sturgeon, 100000; Goldfish, 9,000,-
eco, while cells deposit several millions
that are almost microscopic.
Now" continued the doctor, 'while
most of the sharks and rays are vivipar-
Gus, all of the true fish, with very few ex-
ceptions. are oviparous or egg-producing.
These eggs are spherical in form, though
III some of the lower forms they are oval
or semi-elliptical. The eggs of the sal
mon, brook trout, shad and some other
species are separate and apparently
smooth on the surface like pellets of shot,
while those of other species are joined to-
gether by means of minute threads or
tilaments. These various methods of de-
posting eggs allow some of them to cling
to the weeds or other objects, some to
float singly, some to sink to the bottom
OF the streams where they roll about by
themselves, while others are held to-
gether by strips and bands of glutinous
material, by means of which they be-
come attached to plants, sticks, ETC., and
thus float on the surface of the water, and
still others are carried about by the male
fish in various receptacles of its body
until they are hatched. AS an example
of one Of these methods take the goose
fish. Its eggs number $4,000, and they
are inclosed in a ribbon-shaped gelatin
Gus mass about one foot wide and forty
feet in length. This ribbon floats near
the surface until the young are Matched.
"Now, it is only recently that definite
information has been secured that will
allow naturalists to talk intelligently on
fish eggs. 1t has not been many years
since all fish were supposed to deposit
their spawn upon the shoals of the sea-
shore or upon the beds of shallow inland
streams, where they rested until hatched.
Now we know that many of the marine
species deposit their eggs at the surface
Of the ocean, where they float until incu-
baton is complete. OF the species that
produce floating eggs may be mentioned
bonito, cuslI, haddock and many of the
founders. A very curious and interest
ing contrivance for causing the ova to
float on the surface is that resorted to by
the paradise fish of China. The male
constructs floating raft by expelling
from it's mouth bubbles of air coated with
a fatty secretion, which collecting on the
surface, clingS together until it forms a
viscid scum or raft several inches in
thickness. After the eggs of the female
are deposited and fertilized on the bottom
IN the usual manner, the male collects
them in his mouth and elects them into
this frothy bed, which he keeps in repair
by constantly adding fatty blubbers until
the young fry are hatched, which occurs
in about two days.
This is just the reverse Of the action of
the salmon, shad and suckers of fresh
water streams which deposit their eggs
and leave the young to their fate. In
deed, most valuable food fish are just as
careless as those l have mentioned, and
as a consequence most of their young are
devoured by other fish. This is why
artI tlplot n11fJlra InJ1St hn rnCnrtnH fn tn
keep up the food supply. There are,
however, some exceptions to the above
statements, for the black bass. catfish and
sunfsh deposit their ova in shallow de-
pressions. and the males guard them dur
ing incubation and protect the young for
short time, just as hen does her chick
ems. In the case of the black-head min
| now and goldfish, the male deposits the
formulated eggs singly upon the under
| side of leaves of water plants and then
watches them until they hatch. The
! sickle-back builds cunning, basket-like
| nest between the upright stems of water
plants and in this he induces the females
| to deposit the eggs. This done he
watches the nest until the eggs are
| hatched.
"Some of the fishes of the Gulf Stream
build nest among floating seaweeds;
others gather weeds together and con-
struct nests in which the ova are left to
be watched by the male. Of these latter
| might be mentioned the snake-head fish
of India and small catfish of South
| America. But one of the most curious
methods Of raising the young is that
adopted by the marine catfish mentioned
above. The female of this fish deposits
| her eggs in the sand. The male after
| ward takes them into his mouth and ar
| ranges them between the leaves of his
| gills where they are retained until the
I hnt cd nhI 70 %Dfr
| of themselves. AT such times his pharynx
is enormously distended and presents a
| very curious and comical appearance.
| The armored catfish of South America
| has very singular contrivance for pro-
| tecting its young. The male is provided
| during the breeding season with numer-
Gus series of little stalks on the under
surface of the abdomen, and upon these
stalks the eggs are received and carried
| until Matched.
''Winter before last while engaged in
! scientific researches in Florida for the
| United States Fish Commissioner, coll
| lected some of the sea-horses, of species
but II inches long, that were carrying
| their young in pouches at the time. In the
pipe-fsh similar pouch is found in the
male for the same purpose, but it is
formed by fold of skin from each side
of the trunk and tail, the free margin
uniting in the medal line. In the sole
nostoma, another allied fish, the inner
borders of the ventral fins unite with the
skin of the body and thus form pouch
for the reception of the eggs, where they
are retained by numerous filaments ar
ranged along the central rays.
''In another queer species, the lump
| sucker, the male digs a pit between two
stones at the bottom of a shallow portion
of the sea, in which the female deposits
several hundred thousand eggs, which
are tenderly watched over by the male
/ I1rntil