Aquatic liitt 



137 



downward sweep of his tail as he headed 

 for the bottom with the prize. A moment 

 later he was again on the watch, cool and 

 self-possessed, as if nothing had marred 

 the perfect serenity of his ways. 



Three months later I gave him a com- 

 panion, a brother bass, and I cannot say 

 he welcomed the new arrival. It was 

 larger and darker than the old boarder, 

 and immediately assumed the office of 

 chief of police, sending the old-timer into 

 exile among the sunfish, for whom he 

 (the latter) suddenly professed a warm 

 friendship. Bass No. 2 exhibited all the 

 characteristics of the former incumbent 

 to a surprising degree, and became accli- 

 mated with a rapidity and thoroughness 

 that knows no comparison. 



I said before that the new bass was 

 darker than the first. So he was. But a 

 few days later I rubbed my eyes and 

 looked again. The tables were turned. 

 The darker was now the lighter one. 

 Where before were dark vertical bars 

 bright dots gleamed on the background. 

 Truly the Diamond Bass is a curious fish ! 



Bass No. 2 performs his duties with 

 tireless vigilance. While he does not al- 

 ways treat his brother with affection, it 

 cannot be said that he is quite as insignifi- 

 cant in his eyes as the sunfish. Bass No. 

 1, on the other hand, is meek and humble 

 in the presence of his kinsman, and either 

 consorts with the sunfish (who admit- 

 tedly have the worst of the bargain) or 

 wanders desultorily among the plants. But 

 let the reigning fish absent himself, our 

 dispossessed monarch dons his brightest 

 coat and comports with all the splendor 

 of his better days. 



Don't be selfish. Keep your tanks pre- 

 sentable and let others enjoy a look. 



In his desire to be known as a good 

 fellow many a man has gone to the bad 

 through overtraining. 



Crappie Spawn in 

 Washington Aquarium 



During the night of May 25-26, about 

 6000 eggs were deposited by one of a 

 lot of crappie that for several years had 

 been in the Bureau of Fisheries aquarium 

 in Washington. The eggs were attached 

 to a dense growth of algae covering stones 

 in the obliquely inclined back of the bank, 

 and some of them were practically at the 

 surface. The male fish zealously guarded 

 the eggs and kept the water about them 

 in constant motion with his pectoral fins. 

 Other fish were kept away, and any ob- 

 jects that came near the eggs were sav- 

 agely bitten. If a person placed his hand 

 within six inches of the surface of the 

 water, the male fish would leap clear of 

 the water and strike the hand viciously. 



The first young were observed on the 

 morning of May 28, and all the fertile 

 eggs had hatched by the morning of May 

 31. It is estimated that about 40 per cent, 

 of the eggs produced strong fry. The 

 fry when first hatched are about three- 

 sixteenths inch in length and perfectly 

 transparent. 



About 1500 fry were removed with a 

 siphon and placed in two balanced aqua- 

 riums, where they will be kept under ob- 

 servation to determine rate of growth, 

 best food, etc. 



Perfectly good money was spent for the 

 following advertisement, which appeared 

 in a Philadelphia newspaper. We pre- 

 sent it, without name and address, as an 

 example of the sort of hash a newspaper 

 compositor, who knows fish solely as 

 something good to eat — said to be "brain 

 food" too- — makes out of excellent copy. 

 Here it is : 



"A VISIT to my conservatory will ze 

 time well spent ; calico and Moore tele- 

 scopes, ducks and rose, $2.50 a piece ; 

 loaded gypins, 50 cents a pair; red smoils, 

 baby gash and gachmia at all times." 



