The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-12-14
RARE FISH SHOWN
IN GOTHAM EXHIBIT
Almost Every Species Known
Displayed Peculiari-
ties of Some.

NEW YORK, Dec. 14.-F1sheS, scaly
and scaleless, moss green and sun
set red, soulful fishes, and three inch
ers with murder in their eyes, spike
tailers, like back side foremost sword
fish, fishes that bite each others fins
off, fishes that build nests out of bub-
bles, and mother fishes whose neses
are their mouths, fishes. who turn up
their tails and die when the thermom-
eter in their aquarium falls below So.
and others that feel fine when it
jumps to 12O fishes blond and bru-
nette, goldfish fan-tailed, and goldfish
fringe-tailed, comets, telescopes and
butterfly fish, all these-all these and
then some-are spending weeks
holiday gavotting around sea forests
in hundred and fifty tanks in the
Museum of Natural History, where
any one who likes fishes may see them
for the asking. Members of the Aqua
rum Society are the exhibitors.
Some rare fish even the experts do
not dare exhibit-fishes so delicate
that the change in temperature might
kill them. Then it would be months
and perhaps years, before the owner
could fetch another from some jungle
stream in India or from an oasis in
the African desert. On some of the
most delicate and rare, however. the
fish fanciers on this special occasion
are willing to take a risk. There is
the butterfly fish, for instance. Isaac
Buchanan, vice-president of the soci-
ETY., is going to show the only butter
fly fish in captivity in this country. 1t
butterfly's wings. If some Hindoo
could net pair of these and ship
them safely to New York, many i
fish fancier would pay him $25 cash
for them.
Tap on the side of the tank that has
family of mouth breeders in it..
Watch the mother open her mouth
and watch all the well trained young
ones. one after another. swim into it.,
and then see the old lady shut up the
trap and swim around as if nothing
had happened. For twenty-one days
after they are born the mother carries
her young this way in her mouth.
They go out and play around and feed
in the day time, but always go home
at night, and when there is any dan
ger from aquatic providers.
These bad creatures, by the way,
take up lot of the fish fanciers' time.
There is little animal called elm
cher bug which gets into the aqua
rum rs an egg along with the fishes
knows enough to do business. Then
some day when the youthful Xipho-
rherus helleri or the Platypoecillius,
or whatever the tenant of that partic-
uular tank happens to be, isn't look
ing, this miniature crab comes up be-
hind him and bites him in two.
Some of the tiny fish themselves
are ferocious. There's the Botta pug
max, for instance. The males of this
species fight on sight. and bite each
others fins off till one sinks. In the
east, said Mr.. Buchanan, when there
isn't horse race or cock fight on.
the natives will set couple of these
fish on each other and bet on the win
ner. Even in captivity they are so
hloodthirsty that they have to be kept
in separate tanks.
Then there are the expectorating
Curamis. These build their nests by
taking in air, covering the bubbles
with saliva, and lining mass of these
with waterplants. On this bed of bub-
bles the female deposits her eggs.
Then her work is done, and after that
she must be kept out of the game, for
she has the indiscreet habit of eating
her offspring. So the male takes
charge and watches the nest If any
of the young fall out he picks them
up from the bottom by sucking them
into his mouth and then gently drops
them back into the nest again.