Reproduction and Growth i6i 



He goes to the bubble-nest and adds a few bubbles. He 

 drives her off and then lets her follow him back. She begins 

 to poke him in the side with her nose. This demonstration 

 of affection is too much for him. He herds her under the 

 nest. Their two bodies come close together. She pokes him 

 once more. He wraps himself around her in a half circle, she 

 turns on her back, and ten or fifteen eggs come from her 

 vent. Quivering, clinging together, they sink slowly toward 

 the bottom, then, still in the attitude of the embrace, their 

 bodies drift gently apart. He recovers, takes in his mouth 

 the eggs, which are also sinking, and carries them up to the 

 bubble-nest in which he places them. After a short interval 

 the embrace is repeated, and this continues until she is empty 

 of eggs. Her parental role is now ended. She is not only at 

 liberty, but actually under compulsion, to go on her carefree 

 way, for the male no longer permits her to share his home. 

 He drives her out, and mounts solitary guard under the nest. 

 Here he remains, making such repairs as are necessary and 

 replacing such eggs as fall out, until the young are hatched. 

 For several days thereafter he continues to guard his wrig- 

 gling infants, until he suddenly becomes fed up with the 

 whole idea, turns cannibal, and those of his offspring which 

 do not at once strike out for themselves are eaten. 



The betta's courtship and mating all takes place in the 

 space of a few hours, but some of the nest-building cichlids, 

 of which the orange chromide, the scalare, the acara, and 

 the jewel are the best known, have a more elaborate love- 

 life in which both male and female take an active part. Readi- 

 ness for spawning is indicated by a brightening of the color- 

 ing in both sexes, this being especially noticeable in the jewel, 

 which changes from characterless sandy-beige to a brilliant 

 red with sparkling blue spots. If the male has no mate, his 

 next step is to stake out a claim on a piece of territory. 

 From this domain he drives all other fish, using the same 



