Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1913-08-21

common old catfish and study him
for awhile. They are 'bullheaded,
but they have sufficient sense to
build a nest for their eggs and care
fully watch their young when they
are Matched out. If you will go out
at any time during the month of Au-
gust in this latitude you will see in
the streams and ponds big catfish of
the common sort, each one accom-
panied by swarm of small fry. In
each case the old one is a male, and
he is engaged in taking care of his
young while the mother fish floats
around and takes things easy, not
having the care of her offspring to
interfere with her pleasure. The male
catfish is more thoughtful of his frau
than are a great many men. Should
an intruder come near the little cat
fishes there will be trouble, for the
daddy fish is always ready to do bat
tie for them.
"How did we find out that the
male fish do the caring for the
young? Easy enough We simply
put pair of catfish, male and female
in an aquarium and watched re-
suits AT spawning time eggs were
laid and one of the fish kept con-
slant watch over them When the
eggs Matched and the little fish be-
looked after them, not permitting the
mate to come near them, and this
continued until the little fellows grew
large enough to take care of them
selves. We then took the fish which
had SO carefully guarded and cared
for the young and dissected it, and
the result was that it proved to be
the male fish.
"This fact we have found to be true
in the habits of other fish The cat
fish, when in their native ponds and
brooks, always find a quiet place in
the water near the bank to lay their
eggs, building nest in the sand and
covering with a thick spawn. The
male fish will hover round the nest
and force fresh water through the
mass by rapid vibrations of it's fins
This continues for a week or ten days
not .longer-when the eggs hatch
and the father fish at once assumes
his duties as caretaker of the young
fish.
"In the sea a species of catfish is
found which takes the eggs in his
mouth as soon as they are laid by the
female, and there he will keep them
until they hatch After this they are
looked after by the mother fish, the
daddy fish feeling that he has finished
mis- part of raising the family. He
does the frolicking while the mother
fish cares for the young, but he is
always present to take part in fight
ing off fish which would destroy the
young.
"A fish very much resembling our
common sunhsh raises its young in
the same manner as the sea catfish
Sometimes their jaws fairly bulge out
with the eggs. These fish are called
cichlids, and are plentiful in Palestine
and in Texas. They are so plentiful
in the Sea of Galilee that the miracu-
lous catch at the time when Saint
Peter hshed there that the catch
might be repeated at any day now
There is an abundance of the cichi-
lids in some of the waters of Texas
1t is the habit of these fish to move
along on top of the water in almost
a solid mass covering at times many
square yards and making a noise like
that of pouring rain.
The common sunhsh also takes
care Of its eggs as do other species
of its family which are peculiar to
North America, such as the black
bass and crappie In the early spring
a pair of these fish will come near
the shore and carefully clear away
circular spot foot or two in diam
eter, removing all the weeds and
stones, and in this clearing the fe-
male lays her eggs. This done, the
male Immediately takes charge, how
ering over the nest and driving away
all intruders. This he continues until
the babies are Matched and able to
hustle for their own living, when he
is at liberty to roam around until the
mother fish is ready for him to again
go on duty as caretaker of another
Matching of eggs.