88 MARVELS OF FISH LIFE 



inferiority, retired into a dark corner, and whenever he 

 dared to come out of hiding, he was immediately pur- 

 sued and driven back by the victorious fish. 



For two or three weeks the fish that was master of 

 the situation was at peace with all the female rain- 

 bows in the pond, but later on he attached himself to 

 one in particular, and made her take up her quarters 

 in the pond by a large stone at one side of the glass. 

 The male was never more than a foot or two distant 

 from this fish, except when chasing and viciously biting 

 the other fish in the pond. 



If the rainbow to which he had attached himself 

 moved from her quarters, he immediately went in pur- 

 suit and drove her back. 



In consequence of being disturbed by my fox terrier 

 (who is an ardent fisherman) these two fish moved off 

 near to a ledge of rock in a different part of the pond, 

 and here I had the opportunity of watching them spawn. 

 The bottom of the pond was covered with about six 

 inches of gravel and the ease with which the female fish 

 fanned away the large pebbles was marvellous. 



At first the concrete bottom of the pond was laid 

 bare over an area the size of a soup plate, then as she 

 advanced over the ground during the process of spawning, 

 this bare patch was again covered up, and a new patch 

 appeared nearer the edge of the pond. The total area 

 of gravel turned over by the fish covered a space four 

 feet square. 



Trout are supposed not to feed when they are spawn- 



