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Handbook of Nature-Study 



have described his colors our sunfish darts off and all sorts of shimmering, 

 shining blue, green and purple tints play over his body and he settles down 

 into another corner of the aquarium and his colors seem much paler and 

 we have to describe him over again. The body below is brassy-yellow. 



The beautiful colors which the male sunfish dons in spring, he puts at 

 once to practical use. Professor Reighard says that when courting and 

 trying to persuade his chosen one to come to his nest and there deposit 

 her eggs, he faces her, with his gill covers puffed out, the scarlet or orange 

 spot on the ear-flap standing out bravely, and his black ventral fins spread 

 wide to show off their patent-leather finish. Thus, does he display him- 

 self before her and persuade her; but he is rarely allowed to do this in 

 peace. Other males as brilliant as he arrive on the scene and he must 

 forsooth stop parading before his lady love in order to fight his rival; and 



Idale of the sunfish guarding his nest. 

 After Gill. 



he fights with as much display of color as he courts. But in the sunfish 

 duel the participants do not seek to destroy each other but to mutilate 

 spitefully each other's fins. The vanquished one with his fins all torn retires 

 from the field. Professor Gill says : "Meanwhile the male has selected a 

 spot in very shallow water near the shore, and generally in a mass of 

 aquatic vegetation, not too large or close together to entirely exclude the 

 light and heat of the sun, and mostly under an over-hanging plant. The 

 choice is apt to be in some general strip of shallow water close by the shore 

 which is favored by many others so that a number of similar nests may 

 be found close together, although never encroaching on each other. 

 Each fish slightly excavates and makes a saucer-like basin in the chosen 

 area which is carefully cleared of all pebbles. Such are removed by 

 violent jerks of the caudal fin or are taken up by the mouth and carried to 

 the circular boundary of the nest. An area of fine, clean sand or gravel is 

 generally the result, but not infrequently, according to Dr. Reighard, the 



