BREEDING HABITS OF RAINBOW DARTER. 



43 



she is preparing to take the position for spawning. This whole 

 process of stimulation by the male is manifestly adapted to excite 

 the female to the spawning act. 



2. The Spawning Attitudes. 



When the female is ready to spawn she lowers her head and 

 with her long axis at an angle of about 45 ° to the bottom she 

 drives herself forward by vigorous strokes of the tail. This sends 

 her head into the gravel. When she has succeeded in burying 

 her head and the anterior part of her body beneath the gravel 

 she depresses her tail so as to bring her long axis parallel to the 

 bottom. This brings her head above the bottom but leaves her 

 pectoral fins and the ventral portion of her body buried in the 

 san J or gravel. The pectoral fins are extended at right angles to 

 the body and add to the surface that is under the sand ; they thus 

 form an anchor which prevents the current from displacing the 

 fish while the eggs are being deposited. If, either by the 

 action of the water or by the movements of the males along the 



Fig. 3. Spawning attitude of Etheostoma cceruleum Storer, at the beginning of 

 the act. Drawn by Mr. Carl Kellner from sketches by the author. Natural size. 



sides of the female, her pectoral fins become uncovered ; or 

 if she is not successful in covering them when she attempts to 

 bury herself, she moves a few inches trying again and again until 

 her pectorals are fully covered. When the female has thus par- 

 tially buried herself the male, recognizing her readiness to spawn 

 by her behavior and attitude, may at once place himself above and 

 parallel with her as she lies half-concealed in the sand (Fig. 3). 

 His ventral fins are extended along her sides and rest against her 

 body just in front of and below her first dorsal. His pectorals 



