Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-02
Some Fish Stories
Science Calls True

IN the George W aSillS toH l IL q altN s'4A>'
internationally known throggh his work
for the Smithsonian Institution, DR.. Gill
has been making special study Of the
habits OF fish in caring for Their young.
Affection is not supposed to be a fishy
characteristic hut this expert has found
that some of the tluny tribes acknowledge
some Of the responsibilities of parenthood.
In the course Of this investigation DIR.
Gill has had occasion to look into the man.
ncrs and morals Of very celebrated Greek
fish. the Elanls. ard to verify an antique
description which FOR centuries was re-
garelod damaging to the vo.acity Of the
Greek philosopher Aristotle. The results
Of this study have been published in this
neutral and physical science series Of the
George Washington University pubi!ca-
tons
An odd little Hsh is the glaais. and one
that has been the subject q murh scientific
discussion. Centuries ago Aristotle wrote
this Interesting paragraph, which for many
CENTURIES was regarded as distinctly
'Esh story:
"Oc the river fishes. tho male clanis takes
great care Of its young. For The female.
having brought forth departs. but the
male whore the greatest deposit of eggs
has been formed remains hy them watch
Ing. rendering no other service except keep
Ing OF Other fishes from destroying the
young. He does this fey forty or fifty
days, until the young are sufficiently grown
to escape from the other fishes And he
Is known to the fishermen wherever he
may chance to be Watching his eggs for
he keeps of the fishes ny rushing move
mlnts and by making a noise and moaning
Aud he remains by the eggs with SO much
or natural affection that the fishermen
when the eggs adhere to deep roots bring
them up to the shallowest place they can,
but he does not even then leave his off
spring but II he chance to be a young
Ash he is easily taken by tho hook, be-
cause he snaps at all the fishes that ap-
proach him. but If he is already accustomed
TO this and has swallowed hooks before he
does not even then desert his young, but
breaks the hook by very strong bite"
Because none of the fishes of northern
Europe have habits similar to those at
tributed to the glanis the description was
long regarded with skeptcism. In 1889 two
Of the greatest fish experts of the last
century, Cuvier and Valenciennes wrote:
What Aristotle relates in detail, and in
two passages. of the care which the male
s.lurus takes of the eggs of his female
borders a little on the marvellous. Ac-
them In deep waters, the smaller among
the roots of willows and other trees among
the reeds or even the MOSES. The female
having laid them leaves them. but the
male guards and defends them and as
these eggs are long in Matching he con-
tinues this care forty fifty days"
1t was reserved for Prof. Louis Agassiz
no owe h7ro
birth is about to be celebrated at Harvard
University. to discover the real facts about
the Grecian fish. in 1856 through President
FELTON, of Harvard, who was an enthu-
slastic Greek student, the great naturalist
received a glanis from the very same river
~here Aristotle had made his observa-
tons. Agassizs trained eye at once dis
covered that the fish had been wrongly
identified with the siurus family of north
erh LGrope. new name CLAIMS aris-
to'iIiS, was given to the species. \ new
interest was aroused. which resulted in
the naturalists' noticing that the care-tak-
ing habits OF the glanis are similar to those
of the American catfishes which are not
of the same family or subfamily. DIR, GIL
has now brought together in his con-
tribution TO the George Washington Uni
Versity series the known facts regarding
this particular fish.
In another publication he has recently
developed many other facts which tend
to remove the impression that all fishes
are indifferent to their eggs and young.
leaving them entirely to the care of Mother
Nature. oliver Goldsmith in l174 told his
readers that fishes seem, all except the
whale kind, entirely divested of those
parental solicitudes which so strongly mark
the manners of the most perfect terrestrial
animals but Goldsmith was no naturalist.
The studies of the George Washington
University expert have, In fact shown that
this notion is far from the truth and that
although. OF course, greater parental
watchtulness is exercised among the higher
animals, evidences of the same instinct
are to be found among many of the fishes.
The most common or frequent form of
care Is very simple. 1t consists simply of
the selection of a site for the deposit of
The females eggs and the subsequent
guardianship of these eggs by the male
The spot chosen is usually cleared of
stones and weeds. and in the cleared spaces
the eggs are laid.
IT some instances. however, a much more
'i'N''''SFtlI cooperation with natures pro-
cesses Is to be noted One of the cat
fishes OF Queensland invariably noses and
sPiashes and swishes up stones from the
river by piling them in a heap over her
eggs. Many American and African fishes
instead Of laying their eggs in particular
spot and Watching them while they hatch
actually carry them around in their mouths
Tor weeks at time. Again, in South
american streams distant cousin to our
catfish has a unique habit of attaching
eggs in u mass TO its skin. Tie cuticle of
The hsh then grows around thern-'Iike
the cups of acorns around the nut" In
this way the eggs are carried and pro-
tected uutl they hatch.
some fishes eggs. DIR. Gill states. are
deposited in floating nests which involve
rather skillful preparation. One OF the
most elementary forms is that Of the
c"lored hsh-of- Paradise which by means
Of sticky substance secretcd In his mouth
makes floating nest out of a mere con-
glomeration of air bubbles Twigs and