The morning call., 1891-01-03
NEST-BU[LDING FISH.
Males That Care for Their Young
and Other Queer Things.

Ii is generally supposed that fishes take
no care whatever of their young, lsaving
them entirely TO the attention of nature"
said Professor Theodore Gill to writer for
the Washington Star. "But the fact is
very much otherwise with many species.
Inc most remarkable point, however, re-
garding certain kinds of finny creatures
In their parental relations Is that males do
the care-takiDg, and not the females. Very
interesting discoveries have been recently
made with regard to the habits of nest
building fishes, the catfish among others.
IL you Will go out any time during the
month OF August in this latitude, you will
see in the streams and ponds big catfish of
the common sort, each one accompanied by
a swarm of small fry. In each case the old
one is male and lie is engaged in taking
care Of his offspring. If an intruder comes
near he will dash at him and drive him
away. 1t has been known for long while
that catfishes had this way of guarding their
young, but only lately has it been ascer-
tanned that it was the papa fish which did
the care-taking. Some time back there was
pair of catfiShes in one of the a0uaria at
the building of the Fish Commission. At
spawning time eggs were laid, and one of
the parents kept watch over them, not per-
hitting the other to como near. The young
were duly Matched and 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
dissected, the result being that it was found
TO be the male.
SIN their native ponds and brooks you
will find large bro0ds of catfish as big as
three-fourths of an inch in length remaining
together in flocks, each flock accompanied
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 cat
fishes select spot where the water Is quiet,
If possible protected by aquatic plants, and
there they make nest, perhaps eight inches
by SIX, iDclosing the spawn. This nest has
4 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 still more peculiar manner.
There is a kind found in the sea the eggs
laid by which are as big as small bullet.
These eggs are found i'll the mouths of the
the eggs are laid the papa catfish takes them
into his mouth and keeps them there until
they are all Matched, when they 60 out and
take care of themselves.
!" But this method is not confined to the
catfishes. There are found in Africa and
South America species which resemble the
sunnsh of our own streams. These 'cich-
Ids as they are called, are also plentiful
in Texas and In Palestine. They are often
found with their cheeks fairly bullying with
LII tH6 Std VI 0dllibe lU6 ClcUlluS
are so numerous that the miraculous catch
of the time when st. Peter fished there
might be repeated any day, it being 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 common sunfish 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 pass and cropple. In
the spring pair of these fishes will come
near the shore and carefully clear away
circular spot 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 intruders. This con inues
until the baby fishes are Matched and able
to take care of themselves.
Pipe fishes, which are found in every
sea save where it is very cold, also take
care OF their young. and in very cautious
manner The new laid eggs are taken
fold on each side OF its body. Beneath
these flaps he keeps the eggs until the
young are Matched and sufficiently
grown to take care of themselves. In the
group which includes the sea horse, the male
has pouch under its tail, wherein it re-
tains the eggs until the little fish have been
hatched for day or two, at the end of
which time they make their way out and do
their own foraging.
I'm the case of these species of fishes
which take care of their young a curious
adaptation of natural law to circumstances
Is found. Those which take the greatest
pains in sheltering their offspring have the
lewest eggs, perhaps less than 100 at lay.
On the other hand, other sorts of fishes
which pay not the slightest attention TO
their young produce hundreds of thousands
and even millions at a single lay. The ex
IRENE in the other direction is found in the
plUnnftp a hn larriI T,1t,p
Southern waters, which grows to be 20 feet
in width. 1t bears but single young one
at birth, the mother retaining 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 danger from any
enemy, and one at birth is enough to keep
up the stock. There are very many kinds
of fishes which are called 'viviparous' be-
cause they bring forth their young alive.
Tnree-fourths of the sharks are of that ma