208 



tiom. While the shiner is not the largest, it is almost everywhere 

 one of the most abundant brook fishes. Tii spring the lower fins 

 of the male become reddish. Like the chub, he has small horny 

 tubercles developed on the snout. 



Kandom Notes. 



Did you ever see a fish yawn? AVatch a shiner in your acpia- 

 rium. Sometimes you may see him open his mouth widely as 

 though he was very sleepy. xVo^ain you may find him resting on the 

 bottom oi the jai" taking a nap. Fishes cannot close their eyes 

 when they sleep for they have no eyelids. 



A convenient way to collect fishes for the schoolroom aquarium 



is to use a dip net. The ordinary insect 

 net will do but it is better to replace the 

 cheese-cloth bag Ijy a double thickness of 

 mosquito-bar, thus enabling one to move 

 the net through the water more ra})idly. 

 By dipping in the deep pools, among 

 grasses and under the banks with such a 

 ft net, one can soon obtain fishes enough to 

 stock an aquarium (Fig. 111). The aqua- 

 Ill. —^ convenient form ^/ rium jar should never be placed in the 

 aquarium jar sumolied ^^^^^^ j^ ^^ better to have only three or 



icithuater plants. The „ ,. , . • . j.- 



, ,, . , .,; lour fishes in an aquarium at one tune. 



hottoin IS covered icitk ^ 



clean sand and flat Some flat stones on the bottom of the 

 stoyies. jar will afford them convenient hiding 



places. For further notes on aquaria, consult Leaflet No. 11. 



808 



