THE SUN-FISHES AND THEIR ALLIES. 65 



early start, long before sunrise, the cane rods trailing over the tail-board 

 of the wagon, the long drive between fresh forests and dewy meadows, 

 the interested faces at the wayside windows. Then at the pond the cast- 

 ing of the seine for minnow-bait, the embarcation in the boat, the careful 

 adjustment of sinker and float, and the long, delightful, lazy day, floating 

 over jungles of eel-grass and meadows of lily pads ; now pulling in by the 

 score the shiners, Pumpkin seeds and perches ; now passing hour after 

 hour without a bite. 



Just as the nightingale and the lark, though eminent among the lesser 

 song-birds of Europe would, if native to America, be eclipsed by the 

 feathered musicians of our groves and meadows, the perch and Sun-fish 

 yield to the superior claims of a dozen or more game fishes. The Sun- 

 fish and the perch must not be snubbed, however, for they are prime 

 favorites with tens of thousands of anglers who cannot leave home in 

 quest of sport. They will thrive and multiply, almost beyond belief, in 

 ponds and streams too small for bass, and too warm for trout and land- 

 locked salmon ; and I prophesy that they will yet be introduced in all 

 suitable waters throughout the continent, which they do not now inhabit. 



The Sun-fish, lepomis gibbosus, is the common " Pumpkin-seed," or 

 "Sunny" of the brooks of New York and New England. It is every- 

 where abundant in the Great Lake region and in the coastwise streams 

 from Maine to Georgia. It is never found in the Mississippi Valley 

 except in its northernmost part, its distribution corresponding precisely 

 to that of the perch. Its breeding habits are thus described by Dr. 

 Kirtland : 



" This fish prefers still and clear waters. In the spring of the year the 

 female prepares herself a circular nest by removing all reeds or other dead 

 aquatic plants from a chosen spot of a foot or more in diameter, so as to 

 leave bare the clean gravel or sand ; this she excavates to the depth of 

 three or four inches, and then deposits her spawn, which she watches with 

 the greatest vigilance ; and it is curious to see how carefully she guards 

 this nest against all intruders ; in every fish, even those of her own species, 

 she sees only an enemy, and is restless and uneasy until she has driven it 

 away from her nursery. We often find groups of these nests placed near 

 each other along the margin of the pond or river that the fish inhabits, 

 but always in very shallow water; hence, they are liable to be left dry in 

 times of great drought. These curious nests are most frequently encircled 

 by aquatic plants, forming a curtain around them, but a large space is 

 invariably left open for the admission of light." 



