404 P.\ilENTAL CARE AMONG FRESH-WATER FISHES. 



other periodicals, but such are closed books to most persons. Any- 

 one who looks for information in the popular works on natural his- 

 tory of the day must inevitably be disappointed at the meagerness 

 of the information given. Even in the voluminous German work, 

 so well known as Brehm's Tierleben, the information is meager for 

 almost all fishes, and especially meager for American forms. The 

 sources of knowledge have not been discovered by the compilers of 

 such works, but he who might judge from the paucity of data that 

 no others could be found would be much deceived. To uncover some 

 of the interesting details hidden in comparatively little known journals 

 and other works is the object of the present article, which is devoted to 

 the record of facts about the mating and breeding habits of some among 

 many remarkable species. It is hoped that the information given may 

 indicate points to be observed in the history and economy of other 

 species, as well as of those already noticed. There is, indeed, an ur- 

 gent call for corroboration and amplification of most of the his- 

 tories given, as well as for discovery of the natural history of other 

 species. 



The species which manifest care for their young are so numerous 

 that the present article must be restricted to those which are inhabit- 

 ants of fresh water. Such are better known than the marine forms, 

 as they are more easily observed and within the range of observation 

 of a more numerous pojMilation. Consider;il)le is known, however, 

 of the habits of many of the dwellers in salt water. Parental care 

 has been especially observed in the marine pipefishes, sea-horses, 

 Pegasids, Solenostomids, Sparids (e. g., Cdt/iarus), Labrids (Wras- 

 ses), toad fishes, gobies, blennies, sculpins or Cf^ttids, lumpfishes, 

 Gobiesocids, etc. Doubtless analogous care will be found to be exer- 

 cised by many more when fishes shall have been more thoroughly 

 studied. 



Naturally the most common or fretjuent mode of care is the sim- 

 plest, consisting of little more than selection of a site for the de])osit 

 of the female's eggs and subse(]uent guardianship of those eggs by 

 the male. The concomitants of such selection are various. In the 

 case of the American sunfishes, black basses, and crappies, the ]:)lace 

 selected is cleared of stones and weeds, and in the cleared places the 

 eggs are laid. Some of the sunfish-like Cichlids and the North 

 American catfishes, as well as the (irecian glanis, exercise similar 

 means with slight modifications. Another kind of catfish, living in 

 North Australia (Queensland), lays her eggs in the center of a se- 

 lected area of a river bed, and, after having fertilized them, the fish 

 accumulates stones from the surrounding area and piles them in a 

 heap over the eggs. Other modifications of a general plan appear 

 to be executed by other fishes, but the details remain to be investi- 

 gated. 



