Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1893-03-18
NEST-RUlLDING FISHES.
Interesting Discoveries About Catfish
and Others OF the Finny Tribe.

Interesting Discoveries About Catfish
and Others OF the Finny Tribe.
sit is generally supposed that fishes
take no care whatever of their young,
leaving them entirely to the attention
Of nature" says Professor Theodore
Gill of Washington. "But the fact
is very much otherwise with many
species The most remarkable point,
however, regarding certain kinds Of
fnny creatures in their parental rela-
lions is that males do the care taking
and not the females. Very interest
ing discoveries have been recently
made with regard to the hatits OF
nest building fishes, the catfish among
others.
'If you will 60 out any time dur
ing the month of August in this lati-
tude, you will see in the streams and
ponds big catfish of the common sort
each one accompanied by swarm Of
small fry. In each case the old one
is male and he 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 catf1shes had
this way of guarding their young: but
only lately has it been ascertained
that it is the papa fish which did the
caretaking. Some time back there
was a pair of catflshes in one Of the
aquaria at 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 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 re-
suit being that it was found to be the
male.
I'm their native ponds and brooks
you will find large broods of young
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 along
side. In laying their eggs the parent
catfshes select spot where the
water is quiet, if possible protected
by aquatic plants, and there they
make a nest perhaps eight inches by
six, inclosing the spawn. The nest
has a soft outer envelope, and over
it the male hovers, forcing fresh
water through the mass by rapid
vibrations of its fins, until after about
a week they are Matched.
Sometimes the male catfish takes
care of it's 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 in the mouths
of the males, which do this to pro-
tect them. After the eggs are laid
papa catfish takes them into his
mouth and keeps them there until
they are all Matched, when they go
out and take care of themselves.
"But this method is not confined
to the catfishes. There are found in
Africa and South Africa a species
which resemble the sunfish of our
own streams. These 'cichlids,' as
they are called, are also plentiful in
Texas and Palestine. They are often
found with their cheeks fairly bulg-
ing with young. In the Sea of Galilee
the cichlids are so numerous that the
miraculous catch Of the time when
st. Peter f1shed there might be re-
peated any day, it being the manner
of these fishes to move about on the
top of the water in solid masses, COW
ering many square yards and making
a noise like that of rain pouring.