156 Handbook of Nature-Study 



skin is very thick and leathery so that it is always removed before the fish 

 is cooked. The bullhead is the earliest fish of the spring. This is 

 probably because it burrows deep into the mud in the fall and remains 

 there all winter ; when the spring freshets come, it emerges and is hungry 

 for fresh meat. 



The family life of the bullheads and other catfishes seems to be quite 

 ideal. Dr. Theodore Gill tells us that bullheads make their nests by 

 removing stones and gravel from a more or less irregularly circular area 

 in shallow water, and on sandy or gravelly ground. The nest is somewhat 

 excavated, both parents removing the pebbles by sucking them into the 

 mouth and carrying them off for some distance. After the eggs are laid, 

 the male watches over and guards the nest and seems to have great family 

 responsibilities. He is the more active of the two in stirring and mixing 

 the young fry after they are hatched. Smith and Harron describe the 

 process thus: "With their chins on the bottom, the old fish brush the 

 corners where the fry were banked, and with the barbels all directed for- 

 ward, and flexed where they touch the bottom, thoroughly agitate the 

 mass of fry, bringing the deepest individuals to the surface. This act is 

 usually repeated several times in quick succession." 



"The nests are usually made beneath logs or other protecting objects 

 and in shallow water. The paternal care is continued for many days 

 after the birth of the young. At first these may be crowded together in 

 a dense mass, but as time passes they disperse more and more and spread 

 around the father. Frequently, especially when the old one is feeding, 

 some one or more of the young are taken into the mouth, but they are 

 instinctively separated from the food and spit out. At last the young 

 swarm venture farther from their birthplace, or perhaps they are led 

 away by their parents." 



LESSON XXXVII 

 THE BULLHEAD, OR HORNED POUT 



Leading thought The bullhead lives in mud bottoms of streams and 

 ponds and is particularly adapted for life in such locations. 



Method A small bullhead may be placed in a small aquarium jar. 

 At first let the water be clear and add a little pond weed so as to observe 

 the natural tendency of the fish to hide. Later add mud and gravel to the 

 aquarium and note the behavior of the fish. 



Observations i. What at the first glance distinguishes the bullhead 

 from other fish? Describe these strange "whiskers" growing about the 

 mouth; how many are there and where are they situated? Which are 

 the longest pair? Can the fish move them in any direction at will? 



2. Where do we find bullheads? On what do they feed? Would 

 their eyes help them to find their food in the mud? How do they find it? 



3. Explain, if you can, why the bullhead has barbels, or feelers, 

 while the trout and bass have none. 



4. What is the shape of the bullhead's mouth? 



5. What is the general shape of the body? What is its color? Has 

 it any scales? 



6. Why should the bullhead be so flat horizontally while the sun- 

 fish is so flat in the opposite direction? 



