M iscella neo us. 32 1 



Johnny Grindle, while in Vermont it is the "mudfish." 

 Of this fish Mr. Charles Hallock says in his Sports- 

 man's Gazetteer: ''While the parent still remains with 

 the young, if the family become suddenly alarmed, the 

 capacious mouth of the old fish will open, and in rushes 

 the entire host of little ones ; the ugly maw is at once 

 closed and off she rushes to a place of security, when 

 the little captives are set at liberty. If others are con- 

 versant with the above facts, I shall be very glad; if 

 not, shall feel chagrined for not making them known 

 long ago." Mr, Hallock's book was printed in 1877, 

 and I do not remember to have seen this matter re- 

 ferred to since, except "that his remarks are quoted in 

 the Fisheries Industries (1884), Section I., page 659. 



There are many fresh-water fishes which guard their 

 young, and it is my belief, based on the capture and 

 dissection of many individuals, that it is the male which 

 does the guarding. All the catfish tribe guard their 

 young until they scatter, swimming below the little 

 black school for several days. Black bass, rock bass, 

 sticklebacks and all the sunfishes guard both eggs and 

 young until the brood separates in search of food. It 

 is possible that the crappies also guard their young, but 

 I do not know their habits in this respect. 



There is a beautiful little fish in India, brought here 

 for ornamental purposes, called paradise fish. I have 

 bred them in small tanks ; the male makes a floating 

 nest of air bubbles among the weeds and coaxes the 

 female to deposit her eggs therein, but after she has 

 done that he will not let her go near the nest, and hunts 

 her to the furthest corner, sometimes killing her, He 

 fans the eggs, and when the young hatch and wander 

 from the nest he will take them in his mouth and re- 

 turn them. Some of the sticklebacks make elaborate 



