Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 321 



season, like that of all fishes, varies somewhat from year to year. 

 In Wisconsin, where the fish have been most accurately observed, 

 the height of the spawning occurs about the middle of May. It, 

 however, varies in this locality from the first day of April until the 

 early part of June. There is usuallj^ a maximum period of spawn- 

 ing, as in the case of other fishes. 



"The actual nesting habits of the fish have not as yet been ex- 

 amined in sufficient detail. There is good evidence to believe that 

 the fishes divide into spawning parties, as in the case of the gar- 

 pike, Leinsosteus, each party consisting of a female and several 

 males. In a single instance the writer has seen three fishes on a 

 nest after spawning had commenced. Whitman, on the other 

 hand, maintains, also from a single observation, that but a single 

 male is present. The eggs are scattered over the nests thickly, 

 in number varying from a few hundreds to possibly a hundred 

 thousand. A single male tends the nest, keeps away intruders, 

 and by vigorous breathing produces a current of water which prob- 

 ably retards the growth of fish fungus. The fish stands guard, 

 sometimes for hours motionless, save for its movements in balanc- 

 ing and breathing ; at other times it appears restive, turning about 

 in the nest, making short detours, and returning by the 'runaway' 

 which it provides. A favorite position is for the fish to lie in the 

 'runaway' with its head projecting over the nest. It usually re- 

 mains in the shaded side of the nest, but appears occasionally in 

 bright sunlight, so that it can be seen quite a distance away. 

 * * * Such a fish, for example, has been photographed. The 

 pictures clearly demonsti'ate that Amia does not hesitate to show 

 itself in the sunlight, as Fiillebom early maintained. The outline 

 of the nest in this case was clearly seen from the surface, and all 

 of the 'supernatant' rushes must have been brushed aside, or even 

 removed by the fish, since the nest was photographed as it first 

 appeared. 



"The eggs hatch out in the course of about a week, the lenglh 

 of time varying notably with the temperature of the water. The 

 larvae pass their first few days deep in the nest, where they at- 

 tach themselves to debris by means of curious sucking disks devel- 

 oped on the under side of their snouts. In the course of another 

 week or so, the young are probably herded together by the male 

 fish, who leads his flock of young to various points in the neighbor- 

 hood in search of food. This peculiar "nursing habit" of the 

 male is known to continue until the fish attain a length of several 

 inches. During the later spring it becomes a common sight to see 



