BREEDING HABITS OF RAINBOW DARTER. 49 



4:19. The female returns. 



4:19^. A small male rushes up to the side of the female. 

 He pokes her so that she swims off but not far. A remains. 



4:22. He moves about eight inches to where a female is lying. 

 The two are under a riffle so they cannot be seen distinctly. 

 (This spot is No. 3, Fig. 2.) 



4:22^. A drives off a male. 



4:25. He is guarding the female : he spreads his fins at the 

 small male present at 4:19 */£. The female swims away and sev- 

 eral males which have been near follow close after her. 



4:27—30. A guards the holding. 



4:31^. He seems to eat something near No. 2. He turns 

 his head and searches quizzically among the stones. 



4:34. Another female comes in but a small male is pursuing 

 and she does not stay. 



4:36. The female appears from under the riffle at No. 3 and 

 buries herself as for spawning. 



4:38*^. She remains quiet while he guards her. 



4:39. She moves to a spot in line between No. 2 and No. 3. 



4:41. He drives off other males from the female for a space of 

 a foot. 



4:42. The spawning activity is begun but the female moves 

 away and it is not completed. After this for several minutes no 

 females are in sight. A moves about and once, when near No. 

 3, seems to feed and then he seems to spit something from his 

 mouth. 



4:51. A female slips into the area from below. 



4:52. A approaches from behind and touches her side, while the 



two fish are in the following attitude ('. . 



4:54. Spawning occurs ; a small male tries to crowd in beside 

 the female ; she moves and leaves. A remains, guarding the spot 

 where spawning has just occurred. 



5:05. The female again enters and buries her head and the 

 ventral part of her body. She is between No. I and No. 3. A 

 drives away a small male. 



5:08. He moves up to her head and seems to display himself 

 to her. He drives away a small male. 



