Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-03-31
LOVE AMONG The FISHES
They Are Pound TO Be Fickls, Faithful,
Jealous, Dsosiving.
NOTES OF A NATURALIST on TOPIC
He says they snow the sane Qualities
Human Beings Do, with POIyEa-
nistu, PoIyaRdrists ana De-
voted Couples Among Then.

''1n the study OF fishes" remarked a
naturalist. their counting habits have
been somewhat neglected, but what has
been observed is Of much interest
I'm many species Of fishes the male alone
is ornamented with bright colors or pc
culiar appendages, or else these are much
brighter in the male than in the female.
''WooinR the tickle female of the FISH
world is attended sometimes with serious
danger to the wooer. AS the male Is nearly
always smaller than the female he has, in
the case OF the carnivorous species, to take
care that he does not make himself so at
tractive to the female that she cannot
resist the temptation to absorb him into
herself. The female pike is noted for
this propensity when the within selzes her.
"One OF the most typical and best known
examples of fish courtship is to be seen
in connection with the male stickleback,
who is also noted for the ability he dis
plays in making a home for the eggs and
young AS the breeding season approaches
Mr.. Stickleback becomes exceedingly brill
liant.
His eyes become a splendid green, with
a peculiar metallic lustre the throat and
belly a bright crimson. the back an ashy
I
though It were somewhat translucent and
glowed with an internal incandescence.
1.-THE female, on the contrary, has
brown and white belly, while her eyes are
of a pale brown. After he has constructed
the nest. or nursery, for the eggs and
young, he goes a-wooing. At this time the
| females come out of their hiding places
| In the aquatic plants. ana then the gay
| young bachelor goes nearly mad with de-
light.
HE singles out one for his attentions.
Woe betide the luckless rival who at
tempts to interfere at this stage, as a
| fight sometimes to the death is surely on.
Should one be conquered his gallant bear
ing forsakes him, his gay oolors fade away
and he attempts to hide his disgrace among
his more peaceable companions.
Finally the coy female is persuaded and
then the newly mated couple repair to the
nest into which the female at once betakes
herself and therein deposits her eggs,
emerging when the operation is completed
| by hole opposite to the one by which she
entered. During the time she is in the
nest about six minutes the male swims
round and round, butts and rubs his nose
against it and altogether appears to be in
state Of defiant excitement. But alack
and alas, how soon are the vows he made
to his lady love forgottenl
mo sooner has she taken her departure
than he at once seeks and woos another,
/ introduces her into the nest as he did the
| FIRST and so on, wife after wife, until tho
nest is filled with eggs, layer upon layer.
From this time on 1t is not safe for either
male or female stickleback to approach the
nest, for while vain little Mr.. Stickleback
may be iclSle In love he is a most vigilant
and heroic parent and will lay down even
his own life to preserve his little ones from
harm.
AT this stage his brilliant colors change
very much, the throat and belly becoming
OF paler red, the back more green, while
the glowing tints Of the body, which were
so noticeable while he was counting. subside
very materially,
IAN ardent wooer Of the fish world is the
little paradise fish. which was introduced
| into this country from China some years
ago. Both sexes are gifted with extraor-
binary fms.
In the male the general coloring is much
more marked than in the female. During
the breeding season the males contend for
the possession of the females and in the act
Of courtship expand their fms, which are
beautifully spotted and colored, in the same
manner as the peacock, the fish often bend
ing itself almost into a circle.
After the eggs are laid the female is
driven away from them and-the male takes
care Of the eggs and the young when
Matched.
I'm European waters is found the drago-
not (Caliionymous lyra), the male OF which
is frequently called the gemeous dragonet,
from its wondrously gemlike colors. its
body being yellow of various shades, striped
and spotted with vivid blue ON the head,
and dorsal fins being pale brown, with dark,
longitudinal bands, while the ventral, anal
and tail fms are blush black. The female
or sordid dragonet is Of a dingy reddish
brown, with dorsal I'm brown and the others
white and for many years was considered
an entirely distinct species, owing 10 the
vast difference in color between the two
sexes.
TN East Indian seas is found the male
spangled draEonet, one Of the most brill
liantly colored fishes to be found in the
world According 20 one observer its head
and body are an indescribably mingled
harmony Of many shades OF brown and
blue and green. set on with light blue
spots and pearl coiored stripes; the anterior
dorsal fin, which can be erected like a high
sail. Is golden yellow, studded with many
white edged blue ocelli; the tail I'm is a
blend of brown and yellow. set with tur-
Quoise spots; the belly fin il like dark blue
velvet sown with rows OF turquoise; the
pelvic fms are like golden green satin
fringed with dark blue and spangled with
small turquoise spots, and the pectoral
fms are OF a delicate lavended gray, with
serried dark brown spots.
1T has been well established by observa-
ton that the males OF these species do ac-
tually display their charms Of coloring to
attract the females and the the female can.
II she likes, make a deliberate choice from
among her rival suitors.
Among the lower animals. when the
sexes diner In color, II Is almost always
the male that is the more splendid. But
In CalliOnymous carebares, another OF the
dragonets OF East Indian waters, the fe-
male is more brightly eolored probably
the only known instance of the kind among
fishes. The only reasonable explanation OF
this great difference is that the role Of the
sexes Is reversed In courtship and that Il
is the female who makes the FIRST ad-
vances
THE smooth blenny Is a polygamist
As the breeding season approaches the male
undergoes a wonderful color transforma.
ton. All the gay mottlinEs Of yellow and
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