is bright yellow. The dorsal, anal and tail fins are smoky green. 

 The other fins are pale and faintly white. 



Size. Not more than 65 mm. long. 



Habitat. Chiefly clear lakes and brooks. 



Breeding Habits. The male builds a nest consisting of bits of 

 twig or similar plant material cemented together to form a tiny, 

 ball-shaped nest, about 17 mm. in diameter, with a hole in each 

 side. The nest is attached to aquatic plants and placed so that the 

 current will flow through the openings. The cementing threads are 

 a secretion from the kidneys of the male, resembling the mucin of 

 land snails. The nest is hard to see, even in an aquarium. The male 

 drives successive mates into the nest to deposit their eggs, which 

 he then fertilizes. He guards the nest, eggs and spawn until the 

 young get hopelessly out of control and will no longer stay in the 

 nest. Fishes many times his size fear him, and rightly, for when 

 he has a nest he will kill other fish sharing the aquarium with him 

 — even his erstwhile mates. 



Food. Insect larvae, crustaceans, algae and chopped earth- 

 worms. Living food is almost a necessity. 



There can hardly be a more interesting aquarium fish. However, 

 since it is a stream fish and because of its pugnacity, only a few 

 of them should be placed in an aquarium of 30- or 40-gallon 

 capacity, in April or May. The aquarium should be well planted 

 and aerated and the fish should be fed all the living food they will 

 eat. If a nest is completed, all fish other than the guardian male 

 should be removed if possible. 



THE SUNFISHES 

 (Centrarchidae) 



This family, which includes the basses and other sunfish relatives, 

 is quite well known because its members are taken in large numbers 

 by sportsmen. In general, they are deep-bodied, flattened fishes, 

 with a long anal fin and large dorsal fins joined together. The 

 pelvic fins are well forward, near the pectorals. Their mouths are 

 well developed and occasionally quite large. 



[22} 



