small aquariums. A few fish came out and 

 remained out a couple of hours, when they 

 were again picked up by the mothers. 



In a couple of hours I happened to g'lance at 

 the aquarium and saw a cloud of fish about 

 the mother's head, and thought the tim.e had 

 come to separate them, but on approaching 

 the aquarium I was surprised and delighted 

 to see the young rush pell-mell back into the 

 mouth of the mother. I counted thirty-five 

 young. Again on March 2d, on looking at 

 them, they were out again, and while looking 

 at them two of my friends came in and we all 

 witnessed the mother and young again becom- 

 ing one. A fish would approach the mother's 

 mouth and apparently ask to be taken in 

 when she opened her mouth, and it slipped in 

 as if it were a matter of course. Three times 

 I approached the aquarium during the day 

 and witnessed the same thing, the young com- 

 irg out when the coast is clear and going back 

 on being disturbed. 



The same night on going to look at them 

 about 10 o'clock, they were all out feeding on 

 infusoria produced by Welke's Staubfein fish 

 food, and the mother was also feeding on a 

 larger size of the same food, and apparently 

 guarding the young. About noon the next 

 day the young were still out, and the female 

 was constantly drawing food, which was float- 

 ing on top of the water, into her mouth, ap- 

 parently masticating it, and then shooting it 

 with some force on top of the water, but the 

 young did not make any effort to return to 

 the m.other's mouth, neither did she try to 

 recapture them. 



At the same time as I observed the above I 

 aproached the other female, which had not 

 been under observation so closely as the first, 

 and found fifteen young swimming around her. 

 They were in a small globe holding one quart 

 of water, which I picked up to observe more 

 closely, when they all rush to the mother's 

 mouth and disappeared in a flash, no doubt to 

 reappear when "everything is quiet along the 

 Potomac." 



52 



