presaged an imminent spawning was noted on 

 the day prior to spawning. Both fish were active, 

 frequently circling in the aquarium and coming 

 to rest in a previously assumed position . The 

 place on the bottom of the aquarium where the 

 female was located was the place where the 

 eggs were later deposited. 



A few hours before spawning, the female 

 moved over the spot where the eggs were to be 

 deposited with a wiggling motion, the pelvic 

 fins alternately beating with the respective pec- 

 toral. These "runs" were later a part of the 

 spawning act and appeared to serve to aerate 

 and clean the eggs . Also, it probably stimulated 

 the male as he would try to embrace the female 

 when she was engaged in such behavior. 



The spawning reflex preceded each 

 emission of sex products. When a male spawned 

 with the female he swam beside her so that the 

 fish were headed in opposite directions. Then 

 he wrapped his tail around her head while his 

 body quivered and the female bent her tail around 

 the snout of the male. It was at the end of this 

 reflex that the eggs and milt were released. 



The actual spawning act required about 

 6 hours, despite variables in pituitary injections, 

 which suggested an inherent rhythm . Eggs 

 were released about 9 times each hour. 



Disturbances such as brigtit lights, visit- 

 ors, workers, movement, and examination of 

 the spawners did not inhibit spawning. 



Observations on the incubation period 

 and embryology were in keeping with those al- 

 ready reported in the literature . 



The female aerated the eggs during the 

 spawning; at least her activities served that 

 purpose . The male assumed the care of the eggs 

 when spawning was complete . He assumed a 

 position over the eggs where his pelvic fins al- 

 ternately beat continuously. Occasionally he 

 circled away from the eggs and then returned. 

 Often he wiggled his body cind pressed and 

 packed the eggs with his pelvic fins in a manner 

 which shook the egg mass . As he "worked" the 

 eggs he moved forward from one end of the pile 

 to the other, as though walking on his fins. No 

 males attempted to remove dead eggs or take 



the eggs into their mouths although some males 

 massaged the eggs with their mouth. Another 

 tried to move a loosened egg mass back to its 

 original position. 



One male was used to Incubate three 

 spawns, two of his own and an additional one. 

 The females, however, usually deposited all 

 their eggs in one spawning period, but one was 

 found that retained some ripe eggs . 



LITERATURE CITED 



Breder, CM., Jr. 



1935. The reproductive habits of the 



common catfish, Ameiurus 

 nebulosus (Le Sueur), with a dis- 

 cussion of their significance in 

 ontogeny and phylogeny. Zoologlca, 

 19(3): 143-185. 



Brown, William H. 



1951 . Results of stocking largemouth 



black bass and channel catfish in 

 experimental Texas farm ponds. 

 Trans. Am. Fish. Soc, 80(1950): 

 210-217. 



Canfleld, H. L. 



1947. Artificial propagation of those 



channel cats. Prog. Fish-Cult., 

 9(l):27-30. 



Clapp, Alva 

 1939. 



Davis, H. 

 1953. 



Some experiments in rearing 

 channel catfish . Trans . Am . 

 Soc., 59: 114-117. 



Fish. 



Doze, J. B. 

 1925a. 



1925b. 



Culture and diseases of game 

 fishes . Univ . of California Press, 

 Berkeley and Los Angeles, Calif. 

 I-X: 1-332. 



Barbed trout of Kansas or propagat- 

 ing the spotted channel catfish in 

 Kansas Ponds . Kansas Fish & Game 

 Dept. Bull. No. 8: 5-22. 



The barbed trout of Kansas . Trans . 

 Am. Fish. Soc., 55: 167-183. 



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