6 



Aquatic JLitt 



must hunt cover, for as gentle and kind 

 as her mate has been, just so brutal Is 

 he now. He will not allow her to come 

 within a foot of the nest; if the tank is 

 small he may kill her. It is best to watch 

 them and remove the female if he get; 

 too ferocious. I have raised three nests 

 of young in the aquarium without re- 

 moving the female but it is not always 

 advisable. 



The eggs will hatch 24 to 72 hours 

 later, according to the temperature, 

 which should be 70 degrees or more. 

 The male takes good care of the eggs 

 and young. It is amusing to watch him 

 gathering youngsters that fall from the 

 nest and putting them back, making 

 bubbles to keep them there. It is advis- 

 able to remove him after ten days, as 

 the young can then take care of them- 

 selves. At first they should be fed on 

 infusorians, pulverized lettuce leaves, 

 and later on screened Daphne and Cy- 

 clops, mosquito larvae, crushed worms 

 and dry prepared foods. Care must be 

 taken not to use any food, either prepar- 

 ed or living, that is too large, for they 

 are gluttons and may choke. The young 

 mature in a year and will often breed 

 before that time. 



The Japanese Snail 



Molluscs are to me the most interest- 

 ing inhabitants of the aquarium and de- 

 serving of careful observation. The 

 Japanese snail, Viviparus malleatus, is 

 well known to all lovers of the aquarium. 

 The shell is short and cone-shaped and 

 olive-green or brown. Very young snails 

 show a dark stripe running along the 

 center of the body whorl. They seem 

 to lose this later, but it is very difficult 

 to determine, for when they grow older 

 they become entirely covered with algae. 

 The head is blunt with long, slender feel- 

 ers having the eyes at the base. The 



foot is broad and long, bearing a strong 

 horny plate on the rear, which closes the 

 shell against all but the strongest ene- 

 mies. The body is a light tan, powder- 

 ed with golden dots, but in some indi- 

 viduals it is a dirty gray. 



The sexes are separate, there being 

 both male and female individuals. On 

 the male the right tentacle or feeler is 

 short and stout, while in the female the 

 feelers are slender and equal in length. 



The eggs are not laid immediately 

 after fertilization, but are hatched with- 

 in the body-cavity of the female. The 

 young when expelled are perfect in 

 form, even to the little shell. It is this 

 manner of reproduction that has given 

 the name "Viviparus." Several young 

 come forth at a time, and for this pur- 

 pose the female buries herself in the 

 sand. I notice that an individual always 

 selects the same spot. 



To the best of my knowledge the 

 young are born covered with a gelatinous 

 substance, which is absorbed before they 

 find their way independently. I have 

 found them in this state, and also a bub- 

 ble of surplus material. 



The Japanese snail will continue to 

 have young for an indefinite period after 

 a single impregnation. I have had two 

 females in an aquarium without a male 

 for more than a year, and they still have 

 young. — Charles H. Boyd. 



Reader reports a mouth-breeder, Hap- 

 lochromis strigigena, two inches long, 

 that successfully incubated 80 eggs. This 

 is rather more than the average number 

 for a larger example. 



The spotted gourami has been suc- 

 cessfully propagated by removing the 

 eggs to another tank. The young faired 

 as well as those of another lot left to 

 the care of the male. 



