The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-08-06
euseLss WHICH ARe NESTS


A Sight You May Sec in Tank at
the Aquarlum--Tlny Eggs Hatched
In Air Bubbles In the Waterbury,
Times for the Domestic Minded
Fathers.
Just watch these clever llttle fell
lows,'' said the aquarium man, peer
ing down into one of his glass tanks.
The visitor peered too and saw
about dozen little Ash not much
bigger than minnows, but banded
across their sides with dull red and
green stripes.
what are they?" he asked indlf-
ferontly They didn't look exciting.
They're Japanese paradise tish,
and they're mighty clever little beg
gars They're among the very few
kinds of fish that build nes s.
TIE visitor began to be interested
and peered more closely into the
tank On the surface he saw sCne-
thing which reused his curiosity.
TIE aquarium man pointed TO ibis
OBJECT ana went on.
Amt that as cosey nest ds you
can imagine being made in water?
See that fellow nosing around in the
Ooticm Of the tank? He made that
nest. He's going to be patertlml
las pretty soon, and he did a good
| !ob in anticipation Of IL.
That's his missus down there ncnr
him. This is their busy day. dUr't
Know just how she conveys the in
| formation to him that there's golns
- be call for a nest pretty seen, bnt
shr manages to give him thS lin
somehow, and then he gets 20 work.
First he comes to the surface
sticks his nose out of water, opens
his mouth and gets It full of aic
Then he shuts 1t tight, goes down 10
the bottom Of the tank, opens his
mouth, and up comes q nice litI'c
bubble OF air.
1T rises gently to the surface ant
rests there without breaking. May
be he mixes something with II in his
mouth so that II won't break easily
! don't know.
"As soon as he sees that bubble
fairly placed he comes to the sur.
face again. gets another mouthful o
air and goes down to send up a sec
ond bubble close to the first. They're
mighty good shots too. They dou
scatter their bubbles all over tht
place, but bunch them right togeth
er.
"He keeps on up for air and d0wi
with bubble of II in his mouth, un
til he has made that little nest there
with its hooks and crevices under
meath, as dainty and pretty a plac'
to hatch family in as was eve
built. Then apparently he tells thu
missus that everything Is o. X. o
perhaps she sees that for herself
Anyhow pretty soon she goe
down to the bottom of the tank, an,
lays batch of eggs, perhaps oigh
or ten of them, little bits of blacl
things not nearly as big as the hea
of n small pin. They kind OF floa
around in the water and tho missu
and the pater take them, one at
time in their mouths and fetch then
up to the nest and put them up II
one of the little crannies among tn
bubbles. They go back for anothe
and another. and so on until they sc
every single egg that was laid.
"Then the missas lays anothe
batch, and again they pick mp tn
eggs and bring them to the nest
When the missus has finished layin
the pater seems 20 think he's per
fectly competent to finish the jol
He drives her off and won't let nc
come near the nest.
"He watches 1t himself until tn
little fish hatch, when they can TAX
care OF themselves. If the water
warm. and the fish are In good con
dition they'll go through this mes
building business about every montl
and | never get tired of watchin
them. New York Sun.
D