110 ON \ NEST-BUILDING PISH. 



up, on the ground, olose to the edge of the nest, when the young 

 fry will show out in dark streaks over it, like a shoal of notes of 

 admiration, winch certainly they are. Now you may test the bravery 

 of the parent, for if you pass a stick down amongst the young he will 

 not ho forced away, but often will strike at it hard enough for the 

 blow to be felt by the hand. 



The work of the nest building can he watched very well in the 

 1b, but for rearing the young more can he done and observed in the 

 aquarium. A trial ortwo in rearing generally proves successful. I will 

 assume that the aquarium is prepared in the usual way with balanced 

 vegetation, Ac. It should have a bed of neat gravel, and some bits of 

 clinker or stone with a slight hollow in one piece, well placed to lay 

 the nest in. The water should not he colder than that of the pool. 



Oneway is to catch a gentleman iish about May and turn him into 

 the aquarium. If he builds and prepares a nest you then introduce, 

 one alone at a time to prevent jealousy, his lady-loves, some six or so, 

 and wait the course of events ; but the better plan I think is this. 

 Watch a few nests in the pool until you find one strong and full, over 

 which the hatching has just begun, shown by his ceasing the con- 

 structing work, and beginning at the vibratory motion or fanning. 

 Save ready a net, made of line brown or dark green silk, about a 

 quarter inch mesh, (such as girls used to net their back hair in.) sewn 

 round a ring of about nine inches diameter. Get a small worm (a blood 

 worm is the best, found here in the mud of the ditches) for a bait, 

 without hook, tied to the end of a line of fine silk fastened to a stick. 

 I ii iwer the worm gently over the nest. At first he may retreat, but will 

 i return and gorge it far enough into his throat for you to raise him 

 out into your net. slipped under him held in your left hand. Turn him 

 out quickly into a jar, as large a one as your false pride will allow you 



rrj . 'l'lii'i appear less excited and alarmed in this than in a glass 

 bottle, and a new one is best for fear of taint of acids or sweets. If 

 you haven't a worm, and will work very slowly, you can generally move 

 this kind of net towards him, pass it under him, and lift him out into 

 your jar, but they will shy and keep backing away from a white muslin 

 net. Catching with the sort of net I mention is best, as lam not 

 quite certain thai disgorging the worm may not give the fish a sore 

 throat. Having got the parent, vim then reach out to his nest and care- 

 fully pass \ our two fingers under it into the soil to which it is very slightly 

 attached, and raise it up with the eggs as little disturbed aB you can, 

 plaoing it with some water ina shallow vessel — it carries best so. I 

 old-cream pot, well cleaned, about three inches wide and an 

 inch deep, covering it with the lid or a skin, held by an elastic band, to 

 carry the Qes1 home in. 



The aquarium should be placed where the water receives a fair 



nit of sun, but will not get too warm, and the nest should either 

 be turned away from where it can he seen except by a side view — or, 



c still, from behind some kind of screen with a hole in it. Or 

 on< Bide oi the aquarium with some opaque green 



