The Sunfisb Family 9 



section of the country it inhabits, and when the 

 temperature of the water is suitable. The nests 

 are formed on a bottom of gravel or coarse sand, 

 or on a flat rock in very rocky streams. The 

 male fish does the work of preparation by scour- 

 ing with fins and tail a space about twice his 

 length in diameter, forming a shallow, saucer- 

 shaped depression, in which the female deposits 

 her eggs, which are fertilized by the male, who 

 hovers near by. The eggs are heavy and adhe- 

 sive, being invested with a glutinous matter that 

 enables them to adhere to the pebbles on the 

 bottom. The number of eggs varies from two 

 thousand to twenty-five thousand, according to 

 the size and weight of the female. The nest 

 is carefully guarded by the parents until the eggs 

 hatch, the period of incubation being from one 

 to two weeks, according to the temperature of the 

 water. The resultant fry are then watched and 

 brooded by the male fish for several days or a 

 week, when they seek the shelter of weeds and 

 grasses in shallow water. 



The young fry feed on minute crustaceans and 

 the larval forms of insects. When a month old 

 they are about an inch long, and continue to 

 grow, if food is plentiful, so that they reach a 



