American Fislt cries Society. 



47 



her ahead hy l)itiu,n' her on the head or near the vent. If she 

 attempts to escape he heads her off and turns her hack toward 

 the nest. If, after all, she will not stay in the nest, he drives her 

 roughly away and hrings another female. 



Some fifteen to thirty minutes hefore the female is ready to 

 enter the nest and spawn, her excitement is made evident hy a 

 change of color. 



Ordinarily, she appears to he of a uniform dark olive or 



SHOWING BEDS SCREENED. 



hrown ahove, changing to a light green Ixdow. The only mark- 

 ings readily seen are four stripes on each cheek. In reality how- 

 ever, the sides of the fish are mottled with still darker spots on 

 the dark olive hack-ground. The spots are arranged so as to 

 form irregular, vertical hands like those on the perch — hut these 

 are not usually visihle. Xow as the excitement of the female in- 

 creases the hack-gTound l)ecomes paler and finally changes to a 

 light green or yellowish hue so that the spots and hands stand 

 out in strong relief. The whole surface of the fish hecomes thus 

 strongly mottled. This is a visi1)le sign that the female will soon 

 spawn. The male undergoes a similar hut less pronounced 

 change of color. 



vSoon after this the female enters the nest and the male con- 

 tinues to circle ahout her, glide heneath lier and to hite her 



