The Inhabitants of the Aquarium 167 



ing) and their coloring make them suffi- 

 ciently attractive to be an interesting addi- 

 tion to the aquarium of the amateur. After 

 it is once acclimated the fish keeps well in 

 the aquarium. It naturally prefers clear, 

 shallow forest streams with a rapid flow and 

 a clean stony bottom. If pursued it will 

 hide under stones or bury itself in the sand. 

 To keep the darter with success, the water 

 in which it is placed should not be too deep. 

 While it likes to stay near the bottom of the 

 aquarium, it can also often be observed climb- 

 ing among the aquatic plants, a pastime in 

 which its pectoral fins are of great assistance. 

 While all the many species of Etheostoma 

 are attractively colored only the few follow- 

 ing can be recommended for the aquarium. 

 The Rainbow Darter, or Soldierfish {Etheos- 

 toma coorulca) is the most richly colored 

 of all the Darters. The back is olive green 

 with darker blotches. Running from the 

 back towards the belly, twelve stripes of an 

 intense indigo blue alternate with stripes of 



