82 ZOOLOGICAL 
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GUPPY 
Photograph by Dr. E. Bade. 
of animated matter that can dart twenty-five 
times its own length in the minutest fraction of 
a second. 
It is not possible in this paper to deal with 
any but the best-known varieties of tropical toy 
fishes. Aside from the number already familiar 
to aquarists in this country, dozens of others, 
equally attractive, never been brought 
here; and one has only to consult a catalog of 
fresh water fishes of Central and South America 
and Mexico, to realize that these countries afford 
a happy hunting ground for the enthusiast in 
search of finny beauties yet unknown in the 
United States. 
All adult tropical fishes should be fed once 
daily, and the fry two or three times. The 
young that hatch from eggs require live food— 
infusoria, and later daphnia, ete.—but those 
born alive will take the prepared baby fish 
foods, powdered yolk 
have 
of egg, graham or soda 
cracker dust, oatmeal broth, juices of meat and 
shellfish, ete., and the adults will eat pretty 
much the same food as goldfishes. Wherever 
live food is procurable it is most desirable for 
all young fishes, and older but if 
ones, too; 
MOLLIENISIA LATIPINNA 
Photograph by Dr. E. Bade. 
SOCIETY 
BULLETIN 
collected from the ponds great care must be 
exercised to eliminate the natural enemies of 
little fishes—larvae of aquatic insects, beetles, 
hydra, ete. 
CyprINopONT FiIsHEes 
With a flat head and protractile mouth 
Rarnsow Fisu or Guppy 
The commonest and one of the hardiest of 
tropical toy fishes for the home is the viviparous 
rainbow fish, commonly called Guppy because 
of its former scientific name, Guirardinus 
guppyt. It is now called Lebistes reticulatus 
and is highly prized as a destroyer of mosquito 
larvae in its native waters of Trinidad, Vene- 
zuela, Jamaica, Surinam and Barbadoes, where 
its occurrence is in sufhcient numbers to have 
earned it the epithet of “million fish.” 
TOP MINNOW, GAMBUSIA 
Photograph by Dr. E. Bade. 
HOLBROOKI 
The plain fish-gray female measures at full 
growth about one and a half inches. The male 
measures slightly less than an inch in length and 
his colors are beautiful beyond description. No 
two are alike, and rainbows seem actually to 
flit before one in aquatic miniature, in the com- 
bination of orange, light green, pink, deep pur- 
ple, pale blue and majenta, with black spots and 
lines irregularly disbursed, as the male guppy 
indulges in his tireless occupation of courting 
the female in the most brilliant array that he is 
capable of assuming. The colors are best seen 
with the light falling over the observer's 
shoulder. The young are fish-gray like their 
mother, males not acquiring their colors until a 
couple of months old. 
They will breed at about six months, when 
half grown. ‘The male parents appear not to 
eat the young fish, but will fatally bite them, 
gouging out their eyes or stomachs. The females 
feast on their offspring as they would on 
mosquito laryae, swallowing them whole with 
