90 ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 
ACARA 
Photograph by Dr. E. Bade. 
BIMACULATA 
tating, either resting against the floating plants 
or balanced at the top or against the glass. Even 
the mud minnow does not remain motionless for 
such a long time. Seeing it thus poised for an 
hour or so, one naturally begins to wonder if 
the fish is dead, and might conclude, as it darts 
away, that it was only sleeping. 
In a native state the sleeper eats mud and 
vegetation, and at the Aquarium seems to enjoy 
aquatic plants, beef, shellfish and fish. 
The sexes are distinguishable, the coloring of 
the male being richer, his dorsal fins much closer 
together than those of the female. 
OsPHROMENIDAE 
that build bubble nests. 
labyrinth fishes 
Also called 
Fishes 
Tue Parapise Fisu 
A boarder that is both beautiful and intelli- 
gent and that will eat anything is the, most 
satisfactory kind to have; and in this respect the 
Paradise Fish (Macropodus viridi-auratus) can 
hardly be surpassed. Anything that a goldfish 
will eat suits the Paradise fish, it is always 
MOUTH BREEDER 
Photograph by Dr. E. Bade. 
hungry, and will take amazingly large mouthfuls 
for a fish of its size. 
No fish presents more beautiful and interesting 
color changes, the customary warm brown with 
the conspicuous vertical bars giving place to 
flesh color, red, green, blue, and other handsome 
hues according to the fish’s moods. Tempera- 
ture, food, the introduction of a mate into the 
tank, excitement, and various other causes may 
operate to effect a rapid change in color. 
It is one of the so-called labyrinth fishes, in 
which accessory breathing organs are developed 
in connection with the branchial arches, enabling 
the animal to breathe air like the climbing perch; 
but unlike the perch it does not leave the water, 
its fins not being similarly adapted to maintain 
the body on land in an upright position. It has 
been our experience with one specimen at the 
RED CHROMIDE 
Courtesy of Aquatic Life. 
Aquarium that jumping out of the tank was dis- 
astrous for though picked up within a few 
minutes and replaced, it died soon after. Mr. 
Lee Crandall, however, describes a specimen of 
his that fell down stairs without sustaining in- 
jury, and Mr. Richard Dorn tells of one that 
jumped out of a container and laid on a city side- 
walk. for several minutes with no harm accruing. 
Its breathing facilities are such that it has 
been known to survive foul water, to say nothing 
of close quarters, saving itself from suffocation 
by rising and taking air at the surface. It can- 
not live in cool running water, but will stand 
considerable variations of temperature, surviy- 
ing the extremes of 50 degrees and 90 degrees. 
Mr. Dorn, accidentally overlooking a specimen 
when removing the fishes from an outdoor tub to 
his house one fall, was surprised to discover that 
it had survived the winter in the tub, at tempera- 
tures often near the freezing point. 
