nate enough to have a nest built in a wooden 

 tank, but, unfortunately, where chances for 

 observation were limited. He says, "They 

 hollowed out a cup-shaped space in a mass of 

 very fine Utricularia, arranging it just below 

 the surface and making it about 2^/^ inches in 

 diameter, with an opening in the bottom 

 through which they made their entrance and 

 exit. After the eggs, which were much like 

 goldfish eggs, except for their uniform crystal 

 whiteness, were deposited, on^ of the fish 

 seemed to be almost constantly with them, 

 and when disturbed would dart quickly through 

 the hole and into hiding." This was undoubt- 

 edly the male fish. Very unfortunately, at this 

 time, Mr. Lippincott was obliged to be away 

 from home, and so was unable to make further 

 observations and is not sure whether or not 

 any of the young are in hiding in the darker 

 recesses of the tank. 



In published papers I have quoted Dr. Theo- 

 dore Gill as saying to me that ''It is a shame 

 that we know so little of our commonest fishes." 

 I once delighted Dr. David Starr Jordan by 

 showing him two species of darters spawning 

 in aquaria, he being especially interested in 

 that group of fishes. 



I introduce these two incidents here as a 

 text for a few remarks offered in the hope 

 of inspiring greater efforts on the part of 

 our fanciers in the investigation of the habits 

 of our native fishes. We are far behind the 

 Germans in this respect and are engaged 

 principally in observing species whose habits 

 they have already described, the Chaetodon 

 being one of them. 



To any one who desires a pleasant pastime 

 for their leisure hours, or for a mental 

 stimulus, nothing can have a greater interest 

 than a study of living things, and especially 

 of the denizens of that more hidden and 

 mysterious realm^ the waters. 



It is not too much to say that all the great 

 aquaria of the world, costing large sums of 

 money for erection and maintenance, and most 

 of them being adjuncts to great biological 

 laboratories, do not achieve any of the results 

 62 



