TWO FOPS AMONG THE FISHES. 21 



arises an irresistible desire to "a courting go." Like 

 most other beings of his sex he thinks his every-day 

 suit too plain for the important business before him. 

 It will, in his opinion, ne'er catch the eye of his lady 

 love. So he dons one of gaudy colors and from it 

 takes his name the rainbow darter for in it he is 

 best known, as it not only attracts the attention of his 

 chosen one, but often also tljat of the wandering natu- 

 ralist who happens along the stream. 



The blackish bars of other seasons are changed to 

 indigo blue, while the space between them assumes a 

 hue of the brightest orange. The fins are broadly 

 edged with blue and have the bases orange, or orange 

 and scarlet, while the cheeks assume the blue and the 

 breast becomes an orange. Clad in this suit he ven- 

 tures forth on his mission, and if successful, as he 

 almost always is, the two construct a nest of tiny 

 stones in which the eggs of the mother fish are laid 

 and watched over with jealous care by both parents 

 until in time there issue forth sons destined some day 

 to wear a coat of many colors, and "darters" to be 

 attracted by those coats, as was their mother by the 

 one their father wore. 



Although so abundant and so brilliant in the spring- 

 time, the rainbow darter is known to few but natural- 

 ists. The fishes in which the average country boy is 

 interested, are the larger ones such as the goggle- 

 eye, the sucker, chub and sunfish those which, when 

 caught, will fill up the string and tickle the palate. 



But there are, let us hope, among our farmers' sons 

 and daughters, some who are learning to take an 

 interest in the objects of nature which are beautiful, 



