456 



ZOOLOGY. 



sun-flsh {Enneacantlius ohe-ms Gill, Fig. 418) lives iu muddy 

 streiims, burying itself iu the mud in winter. Of similar 

 mud-loving habits is the mud-minnow (Melanura Umi 

 Agassiz), which spawns in the spring. The pirate perch 

 {Apliredodenis sayanus Da Kay) occupies the nest of corn- 



Fig. 418. — The Spotted Sun-fish, Enneacanthus ohesus. — After Abhot. 



mon sun-fish, and with the female guards it and afterwards 

 the young till they are nearly a centimetre (two-iifths inch) 

 in length, when they are left by their parents. (Abbot.) 



The darters, EtheostomiclcB, belong near the joerches, and 

 comprise the smallest of fishes. They inhabit the streams 

 of the Mississippi Valley. A common exami:)le is the sand- 

 darter [Pletcrolejns pellucidus Agassiz, Fig. 419). 



Fig. 419.-Sai]d-Darter. -After Jordan, 



The male stickleback (Gacferovfeus) makes an elaborate 

 nest of leaves, etc., suspended in mid-water, within which it 

 remains watching the eggs and young. 



One of the most valuable food-fishes is the mackerel 

 {Srnmber .icombi-ns Linn., Fig. 420), whose range is from 



