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Aquatic Lite 
may be consumed in the process, but with 
the examples under my observation, the 
average seemed to be ten to twelve. I 
believe that, within reasonable limits, the 
higher the temperature the shorter this 
period. Of course, this is an advantage, 
as it shortens the fast of the female. Her 
abstinence from food while carrying the 
eggs and fry is a serious tax on her 
strength, and may affect future spawns, 
so any method of shortening the process 
is well worth while from that viewpoint. 
After the female has taken charge of the 
eggs the male should be removed. His 
further presence will only serve to annoy 
her. 
The number of young in a litter will 
sometimes be as many as fifty, but 
usually it is much less. It is best not to 
breed a female more than twice during a 
year, but a male may be bred successively 
to several females. 
After all the care given the fry by the 
mother, after they are liberated to shift 
for themselves, she will be found as can- 
nibalistic as the more vicious species of 
She should therefore 
soon as the young are 
It is really a pitiful 
sight to see a school following their 
mother after release, unconscious of her 
aquarium fishes. 
be removed as 
swimming free. 
dangerous tendency, disappear one by 
one down her ample throat. 
The fry, after separation from the 
mother, should be treated like other spe- 
cies. Feed them liberally on infusoria 
until they are large enough to take small 
daphne and other foods. If prepared 
foods are used rather rich ones should be 
selected. 
The pair that made such a large nest 
and spawned in the tub took a notion to 
After 
much evident fighting and fin-mauling, I 
found the female in a sad state, and the 
male in possession of the eggs! He 
change the order of procedure. 
assumed and successfully consummated 
the role of mother. At this writing | 
have a dozen little fellows that never 
wriggled about in the maternal mouth; 
they are none the wiser and none the 
worse for the reversal. They seem just 
as sturdy as the previous litter. The par- 
ents were young and rather small, which 
accounts for the number, there being 
about fifteen in the litter originally. 
There must have been “considerable 
discussion” over the custody of the eggs, 
judging by the appearance of both aduits. 
A branchiostegal ray of the female in 
some manner was ripped from its an- 
chorage and protruded from under the 
gill cover. This I thought would finish 
her, but she lived to kill the male that 
did the damage. 
The editor suggests that very liberal 
feeding helps to prevent “scraps,” and 
the actions of my young fish tend to con- 
firm this opinion. As an experiment I 
tried feeding double portions, and now 
find that I have no trouble in the fight 
direction, but the tank must be watched 
to see that no neglected food sours in the 
water. However, I believe that a great 
deal depends upon the temperament of 
the individual, and accounts for the wide 
difference in opinion regarding the dis- 
position of the species. A particularly 
large female owned by the editor would 
carry the eggs several days and then eject 
them, eating them several hours later. 
It is not unusual for a female to swallow 
the eggs, but to reject them first is pecu- 
liar. She should have been muzzled! 
These few notes give a slight idea of 
the great variations and peculiarities that 
may be found in the habits of individuals 
of a species. They suggest the greater 
pleasure of the study of the behavior and 
»cology of our aquarium inmates. Breed, 
therefore, 10t 
numbers. 
merely for increased 
