Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-05-27
FISH STORIES.
Nursery Tales from Homes
Under Water.
How Parent Fishes Take Care
Of Their Young.
American Scientist Confirms a Fish
Story Told by Aristotle.

Washington, May 26.-Some good fish
stories are being told by DR.. Theodore
n. Gill. professor of zoology in the
George Washington University of this
| city and internationally famous
| through his work for the Smithsonian
Institution. DR.. Gill has been making
a special study of the habits of fish in
caring for their young. Affection is
not supposed to be Il 1ishy character
istic, but this expert has found that
some of the tinny tribes acknowledge
some of the responsibilities of parent
| hood.
In the course of this investigation DR..
| Gill has had occasion to look into the
manners and morals Of very celebrat-
| ed Greek fish, the CLAIMS, and to verify
| an antique description which for CEN
turtles was regarded as damaging to
| the vcracity of the Greek philosopher
| Aristotle. The results of this study
have been published in the Natural
and Physical Science Series of the
George Washington University publ
| cations, III one of those pamphlets
which serve to call attention to the
| unique opportunities for SPECIAL re-
| search which are offered at the national
capital.
| An odd little fish is the CLAIMS and
one that has been the subject of much
scientific discussion. Centuries ago
| Aristotle wrote this interesting para
graph which for many centuries was
| regarded as distinctly fish story:
"Of the river fishes, the male CLAIMS
| takes great care of its young. For
| the female, having brought forth, de-
parts, but the male, where the great
est deposit of eggs has been formed,
| remains by them watching, rendering
| no other service except keeping off
| other fishes from destroying the young.
He does this for forty or fifty days,
| until the young are sufficiently grown
| to escape from the other fishes. And
he may chance to be watching his eggs;
| for he keeps off the fishes by rushing
movements and by making a noise and
| moaning. And he remains by tho
eggs with so much Of natural affection
| that the fishermen, when the eggs ad-
| here to deep roots, bring them -up to
| the shallowest place they can; but he
does not even then leave his offspring,
/
is easily taken by the hook because
he snaps at all the fishes that approach
| him; but if he is already accustomed
to this and has swallowed hooks be-
fore, he does not even then desert his
| young, but breaks the hook by very
| strong bite"
| Because none of the fishes of north
| ern Europe have habits similar to
Il hue aYA ,~fl
description was long regarded with
scepticism. In 1889 two of the great
est fish exports of the last century,
| Cuvier and Valenciennes. wrote: What
| Aristotle relates in detail, and in two
| passages, OF the care which the male
| Silurus takes of the eggs Of his female.
bCiders I little on the marvellous. Ac-
| cOrding to him, the large Siluri depos-
| it them in deep waters: the smaller
| amng the roots of willows and other
| trees, among the reeds or even the
| NOSES. The female having laid them.
| leaves th"m. but the male guards and
defends them. and. as these eggs are
| long in Matching, he continues this
care 40 or 50 days"
1t was reserved for Professor Louis
ASassiz, the one hundrcdth an
| celebrated at Harvard University, 10
discover the real facts about the
GreCian fish. In 1856 through Presi-
dent FELTON, Of Harvard who was an
enthusiastic Greek student. the great
| naturalist received a CLAIMS from the
very same river where Aristotle had
| made his observations. Agasszs
trained eye at once discovered that the
figsI, hr1
the Silurus family Of northern Europe.
a new name, CLAIMS Aristotlis. was
given to the species. A new interest
was aroused which resulted in the
naturalistS' noticing that the carc-tak-
ing habits Of the CLAIMS are similar to
| those of the American catfishcs which
are not Of the same family or sub
family. DR. Gill has now brought to-
gether in his contribution to the
George Washington University 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 fishc.; are Indifferent to their
eggs and young. leaving them entirely
to the care of Mother Nature. "Oliver
fishes seem, all except the whale kind,
entirely Invested of those parental
5olicitudcs which 50 strongly mark the
manners of the more perfect terrestrial
animals" but Goldsmith was no natur-
alSt. The studies of the George Wash
ington University expert have in fact
shown that this notion is far from the
truth and that although, of course,
greater parental watchfulness is exer-
cised among the higher animals, evil
dences of the same instinct are to be
found among many of the fishes.
Tho most common or frequent form
oc care is very simple. 1t consists sim
ply of the selection of 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.
In some instances, however, a much
more intelligent cooperation with Ma
is 70 no Of