168 



ZOOLOGY. 



derus say anus De Kay) occupies the nest of the common 

 sun-fish, and with the female guards it and afterwards he 

 young till they are nearly a centimetre (two-fifths inch) in 

 length, when they are left by their parents. (Abbot.) 



The darters, Etheostomidce, belong near the perches, and 

 comprise the smallest of fishes. They inhabit the streams 



Fig. 213.— Sand-Darter. After Jordan. 



of the Mississippi Valley. A common example is the sand- 

 darter (Pleurolepis pelluadus, Fig. 213). 



The male stickleback (Gasterosteus) makes an elaborate 

 nest of leaves, etc., suspended in mid-water, within which 

 it remains watching the eggs and young. 



One of the most valuable food-fishes is the mackerel 

 {Scomber scomlms, Fig. 214), whose range is from Green 



Fig. 214.— The Mackerel, Scomber scombms, one quarter natural size. 



land to Cape Hatteras. It remains in deep water during 

 the late autumn and winter, approaching the coast in May 

 and June for the purpose of spawning, its annual appear- 

 ance being very regular. The number of eggs deposited in 

 one season by each female is said to be from five to six 

 hundred thousand. After spawning they move northward, 

 following the coast until they are checked by the coolness 

 of the water, when they return, and in November seek the 



